leigh is not a boy

Leigh asked me to guest post on her blog and gave me free reign on the topic. (I think she stepped out in faith.) I decided to write about a few of the things I’ve learned in 3ish months:

1.  Leigh is not Mario.

2.  Leigh is not Brett.

3.  Leigh is not Justin.

In case you didn’t know, those guys were my ol’ ladies (roommates) while we were in the Texas A&M Corps of Cadets.  There is a certain bond you form with another guy when living in a sparsely furnished dorm room… those bonds include never wearing a shirt, brushing your teeth elbow to elbow and falling asleep to the sound of another man snoring in the bunk right below you. 

Some of these bonds translated nicely to life with Leigh.  I still rarely wear a shirt; we still share a sink and sometimes Leigh snores (although in a much cuter and softer way than Mario).  The biggest difference though, comes in how we handle conflict.  I don’t just mean when we are upset or frustrated with each other; I mean conflict in general: whether that is mad, sad, frustrated, confused, or hurt.

The way I (and most guys, I think) process things is a very straight forward procedure.  For example, Mario might come in from class and say, “I got a bad test grade,” to which I would reply, “Sorry man” and go back to watching Sports Center.  And it would be fine.  He would start watching as well and totally stop worrying about the test.  Once he got it off his chest he was over it.  In fact, I think that sometimes guys just forget about whatever the conflict was anyway.

As you can imagine, this approach doesn’t work with Leigh.  That is not earth shattering I’m sure, but it has taken me awhile (ongoing still) to learn how she processes things.  I am grateful that even though she might be upset or sad or frustrated, Leigh continues to be patient with me as I learn how to relate with her heart better.  Leigh’s heart is delicate, and it is taking time for me to learn how to protect and cherish it correctly.  It is just a totally different ballgame than what I have been doing for the past four years of my life. 

There is nothing that I have experienced (other than God’s grace) that is as powerful as Leigh’s love, affection, encouragement and support.  As we continue to grow together, this is only getting stronger and stronger.  I am excited to see where the Lord takes us and what He uses us for.  I thank Him every day for blessing me with a creation as amazing as my wife Leigh.  Maybe she does process things differently than the guys.  But you know what, it's worth continuing to learn how to speak to her heart. We balance each other out and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

I know that this post wasn’t as long as the ones that Leigh usually posts, but I’m honored that she asked me to share with y’all.  I hope that I can post again in the future.

GW