I love true community because it is made up of real people engaging in real relationship. What I admire most about community is when it survives a challenging time.

Lisa and I fight. We have disagreements. Arguments. Our relationship goes through strain sometimes. Sometimes we say things that hurt each other. Sometimes we misunderstand each other. Usually we don’t mean to. But we’ll do or say things that upset each other. But what has helped our relationship to survive 34 years is that we work through these periods. We’re learning how to live together.

We had friends once who were an amazing couple. They always prided themselves that they never ever had a fight. We admired that at first. But then over the years we realized that something was wrong. That’s not normal. Someone obviously was in control and the other in denial. Or something. Fighting and strain is not only normal but necessary for healthy relationships. It’s learning how to live together.

It’s the same with TLS. Sometimes we’ll say things that might upset someone. It’s important to admit we were hurt by it. It’s important to admit we might have said something hurtful. We’re learning how to live together.

I think we are doing great!