Growth Marriage

True Love still exists...you just have to listen.

True Love still exists...you just have to listen.

I recently sat down and had a chat with Maurice Millett. Maurice was married for 54 years. He got married to his sweetheart, Diane, when he was 19. He was so young that his mom had to sign off on the marriage paperwork for him. Recently, Diane passed away, and I asked him to share some of his experiences from his 50-plus years in a happy partnership. He was kind enough to oblige, and we had a pretty long conversation. I've cut it down a bit for time and focused on sharing his most relevant relationship advice with you all. Maurice and his wife were both raised as a Mormon (or member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints) and raised his children as very active members of the church. It is very evident in the stories he shares that religion was a big part… if not the biggest part of their lives. To give you an idea of how their relationship was, take a look at the poem below. I copied it (with permission, of course) from a huge binder full of love poems that Maurice has written through their years together. It's obvious that he loved Diane 100%. And in this interview, it's apparent that she loved him 100%. This is the type of love I aspire to, and a story we can all learn something from. Summer, Winter, Good Times, Bad – Here's how I see the life we've had. I've loved each and every year since you became my bride. I love how you've supported me in everything I've tried. I love you in the morning, I love you every night. I love you even when Im' wrong, I love you when you're right. I love you when you're happy. I love you when you're sad. I love it when I know that I have somehow made you glad. I love your kind and generous heart. I love how much you care. I love my safe and welcome home. I love knowing you are there. I love you gave yourself to me without my even proposin'. I love the children you have borne. I love those that we've chosen. I love the greatest grandkids that any two could know. I love our years together as we have watched them grow. I loved you when we both were young, I love you now we're old. My youthful love was silver, now, my love is gold. -Maurice Millett

I recently sat down and had a chat with Maurice Millett. Maurice was married for 54 years. He got married to his sweetheart, Diane, when he was 19. He was so young that  his mom had to sign off on the marriage paperwork for him.

Recently, Diane passed away, and I asked him to share some of his experiences from his 50-plus years in a happy partnership.

He was kind enough to oblige, and we had a pretty long conversation. I’ve cut it down a bit for time and focused on sharing his most relevant relationship advice with you all.

Maurice and his wife were both raised as a Mormon (or member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints) and raised his children as very active members of the church. It is very evident in the stories he shares that religion was a big part… if not the biggest part of their lives.

To give you an idea of how their relationship was, take a look at the poem below. I copied it (with permission, of course) from a huge binder full of love poems that Maurice has written through their years together. It’s obvious that he loved Diane 100%. And in this interview, it’s apparent that she loved him 100%.

This is the type of love I aspire to, and a story we can all learn something from.

Summer, Winter, Good Times, Bad – Here’s how I see the life we’ve had.

I’ve loved each and every year since you became my bride.

I love how you’ve supported me in everything I’ve tried.

I love you in the morning, I love you every night.

I love you even when Im’ wrong, I love you when you’re right.

I love you when you’re happy. I love you when you’re sad.

I love it when I know that I have somehow made you glad.

I love your kind and generous heart. I love how much you care.

I love my safe and welcome home. I love knowing you are there.

I love you gave yourself to me without my even proposin’.

I love the children you have borne. I love those that we’ve chosen.

I love the greatest grandkids that any two could know.

I love our years together as we have watched them grow.

I loved you when we both were young, I love you now we’re old.

My youthful love was silver, now, my love is gold.

 

-Maurice Millett

True Love still exists...you just have to listen.

True Love still exists...you just have to listen.

The Loveumentary has been a project in my mind for a long time. For years, actually. And over the years, the project has taken many shapes in my brain. It evolved and changed and morphed. With each new iteration in my brain, I got closer to launching this idea to the world. The day after I published my first episode, I had a few close friends reach out to me and tell me how much they loved the episode. And then they gave me ideas. Feedback. Pointers. Advice. This was my project until I shared it. Now it's not mine anymore. It's ours. For the past few months, I've grown. A lot. I've grown emotionally as I've learned truths about myself through these real, honest conversations. I've grown in my ability to record and produce a podcast. I've grown as an interviewer, an artist, and a creator. What I didn't realize until having this conversation with Devin and Julia, is that all of this growth can only be attributed to you. Seriously. I can't be my best self in life (or create the best version of The Loveumentary) alone. I need others to share their perspective, their experience, their knowledge, and their encouragement to help me see and experience things that I would not otherwise have the capacity to see. A good partnership accelerates and encourages growth and progress. We cannot be at our best selves alone. Part of a truly loving relationship… at its core, is the ability to see your partner as presently perfect, but to hold a future vision. This conversation helped me realize that what I'm truly yearning for is to creating my life with someone who sees me and encourages me to live to my greatest potential. It's like finding a co-founder for life. This concept is the most appealing and compelling reason for me to look forward a relationship than I ever could have dreamed of. Commitment scares the bejeezus out of me (which is another post for another day), but the way Julia and Devin painted this picture, they lit a fire in my heart, and a desire to find a partnership like they have. I hope they inspire you as much as they inspired me. Big thanks to them for inviting me into their home, feeding me amazing food, and being phenomenal hosts and friends. This episode is just so so good! GAH!

The Loveumentary has been a project in my mind for a long time. For years, actually.

And over the years, the project has taken many shapes in my brain. It evolved and changed and morphed. With each new iteration in my brain, I got closer to launching this idea to the world.

The day after I published my first episode, I had a few close friends reach out to me and tell me how much they loved the episode. And then they gave me ideas. Feedback. Pointers. Advice.

This was my project until I shared it. Now it’s not mine anymore. It’s ours.

For the past few months, I’ve grown. A lot. I’ve grown emotionally as I’ve learned truths about myself through these real, honest conversations. I’ve grown in my ability to record and produce a podcast. I’ve grown as an interviewer, an artist, and a creator.

What I didn’t realize until having this conversation with Devin and Julia, is that all of this growth can only be attributed to you. Seriously.

I can’t be my best self in life (or create the best version of The Loveumentary) alone. I need others to share their perspective, their experience, their knowledge, and their encouragement to help me see and experience things that I would not otherwise have the capacity to see.

A good partnership accelerates and encourages growth and progress.

We cannot be at our best selves alone.

Part of a truly loving relationship… at its core, is the ability to see your partner as presently perfect, but to hold a future vision.

This conversation helped me realize that what I’m truly yearning for is to creating my life with someone who sees me and encourages me to live to my greatest potential.

It’s like finding a co-founder for life.

This concept is the most appealing and compelling reason for me to look forward  a relationship than I ever could have dreamed of. Commitment scares the bejeezus out of me (which is another post for another day), but the way Julia and Devin painted this picture, they lit a fire in my heart, and a desire to find a partnership like they have.

I hope they inspire you as much as they inspired me.

Big thanks to them for inviting me into their home, feeding me amazing food, and being phenomenal hosts and friends.

 

This episode is just so so good! GAH!

Wherein four bachelors talk about love… a topic on which we are definitely not experts. We cover why it's important to know what you want and who you are before you can really fall in love. We talk about the simplicity of the concept of love, and how complicated it gets when you involve people. We crack jokes, get deep, and revel in awkward silences.

Wherein four bachelors talk about love… a topic on which we are definitely not experts.

 

We cover why it’s important to know what you want and who you are before you can really fall in love. We talk about the simplicity of the concept of love, and how complicated it gets when you involve people. We crack jokes, get deep, and revel in awkward silences.