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What I see now, that I couldn’t quite see so clearly then, is that in each of those scraggy valleys, we were gathering seeds to plant. We didn’t see the fruit of our efforts right away. What plant blooms in an instant? Instead, over time, we saw that the beautiful hilltops were growing more and more wildflowers that brought more abundance, more warmth from the sun and joy from the wildlife. Different birdsong filled our ears. Trees heavy with fruits and nuts grew thick, offering us shade and leisure. We could see down, into those valleys that once felt so hopeless and dark, and notice from our vantage point that it was only a blip and what felt like forever was simply us climbing forward. Onward and upward! We had to use our muscles to propel us and we had to feed our hope. Even in those darker times it was especially important to hold our marriage as sacred, more important than our own comfort or desires.