This was the first marriage conference that I had done on my own in a while, and I realized how much I missed having Jeff with me! He is so good at relating to the guys as an “average knucklehead” (his words, not mine!), and really seems to help them ‘get it’ about how simple it can be to truly understand their wives and make them happy.
Although I was missing my husband and kids, I really enjoyed this visit. The pastor, Georg Karl, is an old Michigan guy and had a shrine in his office to the Michigan Wolverines just like Jeff does! Which in Indiana, of course, is NOT very popular. [LINDA - see if you can get the picture from the event site of me between two of the pastors who were wearing Michigan sweatshirts!] Georg had actually met his wife, Jeanne, in Flint, MI, which is where Jeff used to own restaurants with his brothers before he went to college. And Jeff was blown away to hear that Georg actually remembered one of their restaurants - it was called “G and J Brothers” and so Georg and Jeanne liked that name because it was their same initials. What a small world that nearly 20 years after the restaurant closed, I’m speaking in Georg’s church and he remembers that place.
In the last session of the marriage conference we had a good Question and Answer time and I was really touched by how many great questions people were willing to ask. There is often a culture in the Midwest that is a bit hesitant to ask questions - even on paper. And these folks were clearly hesitant at first but really warmed up as the day went along, and so many couples said they felt like they had a ‘new beginning’ that day. Just what I am so grateful to hear!