Guys. Marriage can be so hard sometimes. Two people living together aren’t always going to be perfect, it’s just a fact of life. Honestly, our marriage has made me realize just how selfish and self-serving I can be (or Mitchel has graciously pointed it out to me when I’m less observant). Marriage will do that. It will expose the less great parts of you, both to yourself and your partner.

Recently I finished editing a photo session and sent Mitchel one of the photos he had taken at the shoot, because I knew he’d be proud of it and I wanted him to see it and maybe share on his own social media.

So he posted it to instagram and then showed it to me. Well he put a filter on it and my first response was “Ew! Why’d you put that ugly filter on it???”

Instead of being happy about the picture that I knew he’d be proud of (and I was proud of it too), I tore him down because I didn’t like what he had done to the photo. So within seconds, I made him go from being proud to questioning himself. He deleted the picture.

I instantly realized how mean-hearted I had been just a few seconds before. I actually fell to the ground and started crying because I don’t know that I have ever realized so evidently the extent of how powerful my words are. It hit me. That was so mean and I felt completely awful.

This may seem insignificant, because it was just a picture, but my response and words TOTALLY mattered. Thankfully marriage doesn’t depend on one situation and we get to try again each day. And again. And again. So if you’re struggling, just know that you can do it and I’m over here cheering you on.

(And if you wanted to share some marriage fails or wins on your end, I wouldn’t hate it.)