Listening and Learning

As I was reading both texts by Goddard and Gottman, I felt the spirit testifying that really listening to one another and being humble enough to yield to each other is so important.  We need to ask more questions and talk a little less.  We have no idea what our spouse may be thinking or feeling, no matter how well or for how long we have known them.  Men and women are naturally different in the way that they communicate and connect with people, and I really enjoyed how Gottman talked about how women get together and automatically find out how their friends are feeling and what's been going on with them, and men simply like to just do things together.  It reminded me of a popular comedian, Brian Regan, who talks about this very thing!  I couldn't find any links where he talks about how he went golfing with his pal for about four hours, and when he came back home, his wife asked him how his pal was doing.  He replied that he was good, and his wife asked how he was doing since his divorce, to which he replied that it hadn't come up.  It's a lot funnier when he talks about it, but that's the gist.  It's so true that men and women relate to one another differently, but there are still many similarities between us that help us strengthen one another.  It definitely takes a lot of repentance and realizing that I'm not always right when faced with different people and situations, and I am so grateful that we have the Atonement to help us and strengthen us until we become the type of people that are easy to forgive others and not always irritated by things that we don't need to be irritated about.  Christ loves us enough to help us in our relationships if we will just turn to Him.