BrauchTalk

It seems like every tv show has a guy and a girl dating on it and their relationship is “perfect”. One of them will find out that they got accepted into a really good school across the country. It is a classic relationship tester and makes for a few drawn out episodes detailing the struggle.

I didn’t go to a college across the country. My college was 170 miles away. I had been going to school for a year before B and I started to date. It was a classic scene. We both were in la la land and life was so good. I could do no wrong and neither could B. We were in “love” right away! I would stay at her parent’s house till the wee hours in the morning talking and enjoying each others company and then I would go home and get up early for work. I was never run down. This went on for weeks and it even seemed like months. We learned a lot from each other and life was good.

Then there was a date on the calendar that B was scared of and sad about. It was they day that I had planned on moving back up to college for my sophomore year. That was one tough day. We had only been dating for about a month, but we had really grown to know and enjoy each other company. We had prayed together the night before I was to leave and said our good byes.
I was sad because I was getting to know her on a deeper level and that was good. I went up to college and we talked on the phone every night. We talked for what seemed like an hour or so every night. I came home that very next weekend and hung out and it felt like I had never left for school. Time went by and we still were together and making it work. It seemed like our relationship started to get stronger as the months and years flew by. I used to get a lot of grief from friends at college that would always say that I am dumb for having a girlfriend back at home when there were so many girls available at college to date. It was an easy choice for me because B was what I wanted.

I drove home almost every weekend the rest of my college career. It was worth every mile that was added to my car. The week in between every trip home made us stronger and made me desire to be in her company at every waking moment that I could and when I could. Sure, the weeks seemed long and tough, but they seemed to start to fly by and the weekend gave me something to look forward to and strive for. Dating B in college help me stay out of the party and drinking scene that is tearing our young people apart. Our relationship grew and got stronger with every passing week and we learned to make it work. I know a 170 miles is short compared to maybe going to school on the west or east coasts. I was lucky to have picked a college my freshman year that was close but just far enough away from home.

Relationships should get stronger when there is a time away from your loved one. It is a struggle at first but if you both are strong, it will work. Our faith also played a big role in the decisions we made while we were apart and together. I will save that for another story.

Both of our phone bills were super high and I put about 30 some thousand miles on my car in approximately 3 and half years. If I could go back in time, I would do it all over again in a heart beat the exact same way. We are so happy and strong in our relationship with each other.

The distance between us made us long to be together. Time flew by and it gave me a desire to go fast and get my school work done so I could spend the weekend with my girlfriend. There were a lot of bumps along the way that I will save for another day.

Long distance relationships aren’t all as bad as TV shows portray them. It helps you see your significant others integrity and commitment to you. It lets you know that there is trust and love in the relationship. Pray for guidance before making any big decision in life. As always, make it a great day!