LEDGER COLUMNIST

Joe Hughes (joe@gaffneyledger.com) writes feature and enterprise stories for The Gaffney Ledger. Sometimes you wish that your vacation will never end... but just that fast it is over.

I never believed that as I jumped on Interstate 95 bound for Miami nearly two weeks ago that a week's time could go away so fast. However, just as quickly as I began to count a vacation's worth of blessings, my time away from the rigors of work was over.

Not to say I don't love giving all of you here in Cherokee County the news coverage that has become the norm and deserve. But we all need a break sometime. Plus, as most of you know I had pretty good reason.

I got married June 21 and life has been quite wonderful, yet different.

Having my wife ( wow... I said that?) around is great. After all, it was what we had been yearning and planning for during the course of the past four years - the combined amount of time we dated and were engaged.

During those four years, we have loved and learned about each other, taking each day as a new slate with new morsels of valuable knowledge to learn within each 24-hour pattern.

I know things sound real positive from my end, partly because that was how I was raised - positive thoughts bring similar results. But in many ways I have seen and learned from mistakes made by other people in their relationships.

Storms will occur regardless of the type of partnership - whether friendly or romantic - and you will find many of them can be repaired, if both parties try.

I've seen my father counsel people from time to time, always looking to find a place to insert a ray of hope.

One of the statements that consistently came out of his mouth was "you two are not maximizing your relationship." He also went on to people that "it is all about what you two make it... while there is also time to talk, you must also listen or you might miss something that she felt was important to her as well as yourself."

OK, at the time I did not have this shiny gold wedding band on my finger and didn't have a grasp of what he was talking about.

I do now, as I found it is no longer about me, myself and I.

When the pastor told us in counseling that things would be different, he was right. The way you talk, interact and see each other has changed, and now you must take it at face value. My wife is now me, and I am a part of her - simple as that.

So if I cannot talk to myself who am I going to talk to? My wife's two cats? Please, all they do is eat, play and sleep all day. What good is that going to be for me?

It's new, but I'll change ... that's part of life.