Whenever I have the opportunity to give newlyweds advice, I have always said, “Don’t stop holding hands.” It may sound odd to some people or something simple, but for me, it holds a lot of meaning in a relationship between husband & wife.
I remember as a teen I was at the beach with my family & my grandparents. My grandparents were walking ahead of me & I saw them reach out & take each other’s hands. I was really touched by this picture. I remember thinking how when I got married, I wanted to still hold hands with my husband when we were old & gray.
My husband & I met online when I was just 18 & he was 26. This was back in 1993. The internet was new & we used Prodigy as our internet server. It was like AOL. We casually talked & soon found out we lived in the same town. My parents agreed to let us meet on New Year’s Day. We met at the mall. My mom was with us & she spoke to him before she left us alone to watch a movie. This was actually my first real date. I was scared to death. But it wasn’t until a month or so later that I wanted to hold his hand. I was so shy about it that I wrote him & told him through email. He traveled a lot at the time, so we had only had a few dates. About a week later, we were at the theater watching Jurassic Park. Funny enough, when they turn off the power to the gates in the movie, the movie actually cuts off. We had to wait while they fixed it & it was during that moment that my husband & I first held hands. I still remember feeling goosebumps. It was like an energy ran between us & I felt a little nervous. I never felt like that before.
My husband has amazing parents. Our second date was to church. We went there with his family & then back to his home for visiting & lunch. I was struck by how his parents held hands. They would sit in recliner chairs side by side & hold hands. I just thought that was so romantic. They reminded me of my grandparents.
Long story short, we were engaged just 2 months later & married 3 weeks after our engagement. My family was moving to KY & there was no way I was leaving. So my parents had to not only prepare to move but also pull off a wedding. God bless that. My husband & I have been married now for 32 years.
My husband has amazing parents. Our second date was to church. We went there with his family & then back to his home for visiting & lunch. I was struck by how his parents held hands. They would sit in recliner chairs side by side & hold hands. I just thought that was so romantic. They reminded me of my grandparents. Another sweet thing about them is how they hold hands in the car. During the first year of our marriage, my husband & I went on vacation with his family. We rode in the van with them & I was touched to see my new in-laws hold each other’s hands while driving. It was just really sweet to see that. I feel blessed to have known them.
So as a wife & mom, I make a point to hold my husband’s hand a lot. I do it out of love, comfort, support & at times I even hold his hand while I sleep. I wanted my kids to see us hold hands, too. They see that we love each other & we are committed to each other. When I hold my husband’s hand, my stress lowers, my body relaxes & I feel love.
(originally written for Molly Green Magazine)
