👩🏽⚖️Judging A Book by Its Cover📚
A Seasoned Chalkboard: The Journey to a Mature Marriage The front cover of my book, Growing into a Mature Marriage: From Kindergarten to College, is a seasoned chalkboard—a powerful symbol of how marriage evolves over time. A seasoned chalkboard is smoother, easier to write on, and better at holding what is written upon it, just like a mature relationship. It doesn’t start that way. Both the chalkboard and marriage require experience and growth before they become stable, adaptable, and capable of holding deep and lasting lessons. Kindergarten: Where It All Begins Marriage often begins with innocence, excitement, and naivety—much like a kindergartener walking into their first classroom. In those early stages, we are like children writing with chalk on an untested surface. I wrote my name in kindergarten chalk, the letter “C” crooked and backward as a symbol of the early days of marriage, when things are imperfect, awkward, and we don’t always know how to communicate or navigate life together. In kindergarten, we are just starting to learn the basics—how to read, write, and form connections. Similarly, in marriage, we are learning foundational skills like communication, compromise, and empathy. Mistakes are inevitable. We may misunderstand each other, fail to meet expectations, or stumble over responsibilities. But just like a child learning to write, we practice and improve through patience and experience. 👩🏽🏫Seasoning the Chalkboard: Growth Through Challenges At first, a new chalkboard is difficult to write on—chalk doesn’t stick well, and the lines are faint or scratchy. But with continued use, the surface softens, and it becomes easier to write clearly. In marriage, this “seasoning” process happens through the challenges we face together. The more life we live as a couple—sharing responsibilities, resolving conflicts, celebrating victories, and enduring hardships—the smoother our relationship becomes. Over time, we develop better communication, greater trust, and a deeper understanding of one another. Like a seasoned chalkboard, our marriage becomes a place where life’s lessons can be recorded and remembered without fear of breaking or crumbling under pressure.