Jordan Sternberg Jordan Sternberg

Storytelling through Social Media

All that matters is that you are making something you love, to the best of your ability, here and now.
— Rick Rubin

Note: This is an amalgamated version of the keynote speech I gave to the Sandusky County Chamber of Commerce during their social media summit on April 30, 2026.


Preface: Thought-provoking Cinema

Setting the tone. Everyone loves a good Tommy Boy movie reference, after all.

Your approach to managing social media…

Should address:

  • Embracing “chicken wings” (like Tommy Boy) with a child-like spirit.

  • The social media landscape. AKA - best practices.

  • How to immediately take action with simple tools. It shouldn’t be hard.

For me, in my role at Cedar Point, I hearken back to the many years of visiting the park as a young guy.

When I got older, my first job at the park was working as a bell hop at Hotel Breakers. Then, after college, I started my professional career.

Pictured is me as a bell hop at Hotel Breakers, gathered with my best friends who were interns in group sales from long ago, and a couple photos of me and my marketing colleagues at the openings of Alpen Fury and Siren’s Curse.

Now, I bring my family to share in the life journey of having fun at the park.

Chicken Wings in Practice

Cedar Point 2025 Organic Social Media Recap

Context

To establish that I actually do know what I am talking about, because I put this into practice every day, here’s a mini recap at Cedar Point organic socials from 2025.

Before we begin, let’s get context:

  • 2024 - social media position is vacant. It also was a tough launch year for Top Thrill 2.

  • 2025 - social media manager position is filled (me) and applied strategy refocuses on:

    • Prioritizing organic; storytelling.

    • Adhering to platform standards.

    • Diversifying content types.

‘25 Content Beat Highlights

We deployed a plethora of content in 2025. Here are some high points.

Siren’s Curse Chronicles detailed Construction progress updates of the record-breaking tilt coaster.

Quick Bites was a quick way to show that the culinary team cooks up more than just fair food. The series demonstrated that the park has a breadth of offerings.

Behind the scenes to viewers behind the curtain and meet the people who make Cedar Point tick.

And don’t forget other content worthy of mention like Operation Light Switch, Speed Tours, silly FOMO videos and season pass sales videos that stepped outside the box.

Diversity of Social Media Content led to Strong results

The diversity of content types across the board were present and our followers noticed the difference. The content resonated with them.

What does “diversity of content” mean? Carousels, video, static, graphical and narrative-based, memes, behind the scenes, employee relations and so so much more.

Let’s move onto metrics.

2025 Audience Growth by Platform

Represented in percentages. Our X profile (formerly Twitter) declined by 7%. A platform trend we saw across the industry.

Engagement Rate Trend

Engagement rate is the total likes, comments and shares divided by the total followers times 100.

Macro Trends

Total Impressions by Year

Measured in millions. The last time channels reached over 100 million impressions was in 2017 and 2019.

Interesting tidbit. Our new capital, Siren’s Curse and Top Thrill 2, represented 40 million and 12 million, respectively, of our total impressions in 2025. These two scream machines accounted for a lot of attention.

Video Views by Year

The nine-year average annual video view count is 15M. In '25, channels reached over 65 million.

What made our social media strategy work?

Three things, really.

  • Content fit platform standards.

  • Diversity of content types.

  • The content mattered to fans!

It all comes back to knowing the story…

If you get the art right, the commerce side of it works itself out.
— Rick Rubin

Social Media Landscape in 2026

It’s always good to do a field analysis and audit sources to know where trends are.

Pew Research and Sprout Social were a couple resources that give you social media platform volume (where the audience is at) and behavioral patterns, respectively.

Here are some high points.

Cross-Platform Trends

  • Retention is #1. Watch time, completion rate, rewatches, shares, saves and sends.

  • Authenticity over AI. Anti‑AI/spam filters penalize AI‑generated & low‑effort content; reduced reach if overused.

  • Social SEO. Keywords in copy, titles and alt text; hashtags are no longer as relevant.

  • Quality > quantity. Fewer, higher‑value posts outperform high‑volume posting.

  • Video first. Strong hooks in first 3 seconds are essential; original audio and UGC outperform trends.

Audience Comes First

How can brands jump in to entertain their audience?

  • Make social relationships the foundation of your ROI .

  • Post like a friend, not a brand.

  • Bring audiences behind the scenes.

  • Engage in real-time conversations.

Jordan’s Hot Takes

Social media ≠ advertising

  • People are sick of ads.

  • Prioritize “organic” social for your audience.

Keep it simple, stupid.

  • Our best-performing content was low effort.

Am I too old for this? NO!

  • Carl Jung said: "Life really does begin at 40. Up until then you are just doing research.”

You always carry the tools:

  • Your brain. Your phone.

We don’t post unless the content is ‘save-worthy.’
— Desiree J. Gibbens

Easily Create Compelling Social Content in 4 Steps

Make “chicken wings” you ethos.

Now, let me preface. This is a list for those starting out or who may not have technical abilities. I would consider myself an expert in content, storytelling and run up my computer’s processing power on Adobe Creative Cloud.

But, we’re talking simple do-it-yourself tactics here.

Here’s your pattern for developing a solid organic social media strategy. Entertain your followers. Then, at the right time, strike with a reason to patronize your business they cannot refuse.

😂

😂

😂

😂

😂

😂

😂

🤑

😂 😂 😂 😂 😂 😂 😂 🤑

1. Develop a Strategy

Make a social strategy…even if it’s only one page! Include:

  • Goals. Include follower targets, engagement, rate and brand voice.

  • Post cadence. How many posts will you share per week?

  • Platforms. Where will you spend your energy? Instagram? TikTok? Threads?

  • Content buckets. At Cedar Point, this includes grouping content into like-things: resort, nostalgia, coasters, unique moments and behind the scenes.

  • Measurement. More on this later.

2. Write down 1K ideas

Visit your favorite coffee shop for an hour and brainstorm:

  • What makes you unique?

  • List the things you take for granted in the business.

  • What inspires you? Think of movies, books, pop culture, etc.

  • Trends – use only what makes sense for you.

  • World events.

  • Caricatures/personas.

Write all of them down. Who cares how expensive or dumb the ideas are. Figure out what you can actually achieve later.

3. Create content with simple tools

First, use your creativity. We all have it. It’s a muscle that must be exercised if you want to thrive.

Recommended apps for newbies:

  • Canva

  • Edits

  • Adobe Rush

  • Capcut

Think about content management too. Especially if you manage multiple channels. Your life can be made easier with a resource like:

  • An agency…

  • Sprout Social

  • Hootsuite

  • Constant Contact

  • Monday

  • There are billions of others…

PS - nobody paid me to say any of this.

4. Measuring your social content results

  • Engagement Rate. The formula is simple: Likes + shares + comments / impressions * 100.

  • Audience Growth. Get them in the door with your personality. You can tell them what to buy later.

  • Track Conversions. Here, we’re talking about website traffic (Google Analytics / GA4). Homework - look up how to use Google Tag manager and Facebook Pixels. Perhaps an AI tool can give you simple instructions here as the subject matter can be complicated.

People don’t buy what you do. They buy
why you do it.
— Simon Sinek

Thought-Provoking Cinema - Reprise

This is at the point where Tommy begins to get it. He finds his voice. His messaging resonates with his audience. He makes a sale.

Boom.

With all this in mind, you’re now inspired to go develop your own social media strategy. More importantly, you understand how applying “chicken wings” logic can help you tell your own story.

Welp, what are you waiting for?

Read More
Jordan Sternberg Jordan Sternberg

Adversity

You may find yourself dealing with adversity. If not this week, there may soon come a week where you soon will, whether that be at home or at work. Be that as it may, I had a random movie scene pop into my head today from Lord of the Rings that I thought I'd share just for you:

Frodo: I wish the Ring had never come to me. I wish none of this had happened.

Gandalf: So do all who live to see such times; but that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us. There are other forces at work in this world, Frodo, besides the will of evil. Bilbo was meant to find the Ring. In which case, you were also meant to have it. And that is an encouraging thought.

Read More
Jordan Sternberg Jordan Sternberg

Cedar Point Sign Shop Behind the Scenes

Fun fact - this project was created by two talented people who I had the pleasure of working with - Gabriel and Emma.

Each were separated by their respective times of employment within my department at Cedar Point.

Though they don't know each other, both of their talents contributed to making it a great piece. The project kicked off about a year ago. Over the season, Gabe captured some great visuals, then he departed and went on to other adventures.

Emma entered the picture, sprinkled in her creativity, and had wrapped it up in a nice bow. I am priveliged to have worked with both of these talented individuals. 🙏

Honorable mention - thanks telling your department's story, Mike!

Read More
Jordan Sternberg Jordan Sternberg

Nostalgia

Nostalgia is something easy to become gripped by. Longing, yearning and holding on to what was. I, myself, get caught into a nostalgic gopher hole occasionally. I’m not trying to paint it as a bad thing. But, in abundance, to what end is nostalgia helpful in the present?

The risk with indulging in nostalgia is a lack of gratitude for the now. It can cause a side effect of jadedness. We’ve all seen jadedness…it makes things complicated for all.

A year ago, I posted this as I changed jobs: “The future is always unknown. However, I embrace the opportunity for change. After all, isn’t change the only thing that doesn’t change? Change is constant. Adapt - now that’s the antidote to change.” Golly, did those words reign true this year…

I want to focus on gratitude. Gratitude for the past, gratitude for the now, and gratitude for the potential of what’s to come. Yearning for the way things were isn’t going to solve your problems now, so why not embrace the potential for renewed “good old days” being formed at this very moment? Acknowledge your blessings.

I feel gratitude to be able to embrace my creative muscle. I included some highlight pics from the year of moments that made it FUN. That gratitude, I feel, has paid dividends in the work. It’s helped build synergies with my colleagues. It helped us reach great metrics on social and set a high bar. Might things hypothetically get rough in the future? Sure. Maybe a creative drought could happen? Sure. But that won’t stop me and I’m open to what’s next.

If you made it this far - look in your mind’s eye and ponder today - do you feel gratitude? If not, what’s stopping you? The dark side of social media tells you that you need to be angry and bitter and critical. About EVERYTHING. That’s a fallacy. Lastly, what would be the ideal state in order to be able to demonstrate creativity in your job? If you’re not there yet, how do you get there?

“All that matters is that you are making something you love, to the best of your ability, here and now.” -Rick Rubin

Read More
Jordan Sternberg Jordan Sternberg

Season end 2025

It was a roller coaster of a season but was thrilling to return to Cedar Point this year. On the social team, we didn't hold back. We experimented with many concepts and had lots of fun along the way.

One theme I've taken away from this season is - you are only limited in your job by your imagination and creativity. Boundaries, rules, process and policy are only there to set a framework. How you work within the confines of those boundaries is up to you. Creativity is the tool that will help you navigate and overcome the challenges that come your way.

Read More
Jordan Sternberg Jordan Sternberg

Operation Light Switch - Reprise

We brought the Operation Light Switch - Reprise to life! I am proud of my team for bringing this together - Emma and Jordan, you rocked it. Also, shout out to Cedar Point tech and makeup teams! Oh yeah, Nick's performance was to die for.

If you remember Goodtime Theatre long ago, there was a pre-show in the IMAX. Operation Light Switch is an ode to a video long lost in Cedar Point's history - I recall the visuals and design of the piece to be similar to what we've recreated this year. True nerds will remember the video I am referring to.

Read More
Jordan Sternberg Jordan Sternberg

Live on the ride - Siren’s Curse

This is a lesson I recently learned about going out of my comfort zone. I’ve always been behind the camera either shooting or editing. However, I’ve participated in some on-camera parts this year in my role.

Those of you who know me might understand it’s never been a place I’ve sought out. However, I am glad I stepped out of my comfort zone. It was also a special treat sharing this moment with Elizabeth.

I am sharing this for those of you who may feel called to step up to a challenge but feel hesitant for whatever reason. You may feel pressure or maybe like you may not amount to what others have done. But, take on your own style. Your own voice.

Be bold. Be courageous. Be yourself.

Read More
Jordan Sternberg Jordan Sternberg

Remain calm.

"If then it's not that the things you pursue or avoid are coming at you, but rather that you in a sense are seeking them out, at least try to keep your judgment of them steady, and they too will remain calm and you won't be seen chasing after or fleeing from them."

-Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

Stoicism, from what I’ve experienced, is often cast in a negative light. Someone who displays stoic tendencies (in modern terms) may be seen as not caring or awkwardly quiet or not able to display emotion.

First, we all have a lot going on under the surface. Everyone does. Some manage it well. Some still need some practice. But, there’s a time and a purpose to everything. Especially in times of chaos (they happen to all of us), I’d rather try to remain calm and approach the challenges as logically as possible before letting my emotions get the better of me.

Am I perfect at that? No. But looking back, I know the times I’ve experienced adversity, or seen other dealing with adversity, it typically is mitigated through coolheadedness and equity.

Maybe you prefer a more dramatic flare to make a point or difference. To each his or her own. But my take is that calm on the battlefield is the way to victory.

Read More
Jordan Sternberg Jordan Sternberg

It starts with a seed

A mustard seed is referenced biblically as a little thing with the potential to grow significantly in scale over time.

At the close of high school, I am sure I speak for many here, it’s hard to know what one will become.

Full disclosure, that was me way back when.

That is also how, I presume, a good portion of graduating seniors feel at this moment.

Many face anxiety or unease about the future. The formula to set out in the right direction really isn’t as much of a secret as one may think, however.

It really starts with a small vision and a will to pursue that vision.

If I could go back and tell this to my graduating self, I would.

This notion of sowing seeds dawned on me as I read through 39 scholarship applications as a volunteer on the Erie County Community Foundation scholarship committee.

As a first-timer, I didn’t know what to expect. As I began to process the student applications, I was humbled and amazed by the talent in our schools across Erie County.

This process opened up my eyes to the privilege I have and that someone once took a chance on me.

Now is the time to pay it forward.

Of the applications I reviewed, plenty of students have very little, and many come from single-income families. Others come from abundance.

Across each of these spectrums, however, there are extremely talented, intelligent and servant-minded students with a vision to make a difference. They are the very people who are gearing up to go off to college to be nurses, scientists, businessmen and women, entrepreneurs, etc., right in our very community.

I felt so little by comparison when reviewing the talent I saw in these applications.

Just to give you a sense, this year, the Erie County Community Foundation received 845 total applications from 161 students who applied for the 40 scholarship opportunities available. These applications came from students at Edison, Huron, Margaretta, Perkins, Sandusky, Sandusky Central Catholic Schools, Vermilion, EHOVE and others.

One of the volunteer reviewers from the committee went through every single application. Being on the committee is a true sacrifice, however, it is far more rewarding to consider the impact the Erie County Community Foundation is making in the lives of these students.

Like the mustard seed, these young people are about to come into their own and blossom into difference-makers. They have sacrificed throughout their high school career and have performed well in their studies. They’ve been active members in school organizations, athletics and demonstrated volunteerism throughout the community.

Many of the scholarship funds set these attributes as benchmarks in order for a student to be awarded.

Let’s look at this from a higher level. The Erie County Community Foundation is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year. Over the years, the foundation has awarded 1,400 college and post-secondary education scholarships worth nearly $2.25 million to Erie County high school and college students.

This year’s scholarship recipients are sharing in close to $225,000 in awards.

There are many little seeds sown with hopes that they will far exceed their scale and make an incredible difference in the community.

The students who were awarded a scholarship in 2025 all have a story. They’re capable of great things and are more than deserving to be given a chance to make manifest their potential. If we continue to cultivate them today, there’s no telling what kind of positive difference they will make in the future.

Read More
Jordan Sternberg Jordan Sternberg

Childlike wonder

Last year, I attended a funeral wake. The deceased's spouse told me that they were married close to 60 years. As someone who gets restless from time to time (don't we all), I am in awe when someone tells me they've been in a committed relationship for that long - be it personal or work. As they relayed this to me, they did so with a smile on their face. A smile that conveyed to me how proud they were. In my meta-analysis, I perceived wisdom embedded in their smile - I am willing to wager those approximately 60 years weren't all sunshine and rainbows.

One can look at that sort of commitment in many ways. Some might say, "that's incredible, but I'll never be able to achieve that." In this case, I would contend that you are a product of what you think. Never underestimate your ability to persevere couple with wise decision making. Anything worthwhile is hard.

Conversely, some might see a long-term relationship as something to strive for. Someone who has reached a long-term milestone serves as a beacon of "this is possible" to us hopeful dreamers building our own legacy.

My commitment is to my wife and kids. I might tell you how perfect I am, but my wife will tell you the truth. However, daily re-commitment to the notion of being perfect is a place to start. It’s a worthy pursuit, despite the challenge. Before I know it, I pray 60 years will have passed and I will be just as proud as my friend at the funeral.

Pretext aside, I think the greater idea under the hood of longevity is maintaining a proverbial childlike spirit. Of course, you need to be serious and continuously solve the real problems you’re dealing with. However, a childlike spirit makes it fun and enjoyable along the way. Children are (mostly) charming and have a fresh curiosity that motivates them. I think that’s why people smile when they see a baby. They’re untainted. At what point do we lose that curiosity? Can’t we have it both ways?

I imagine the person celebrating just under 60 years of marriage would tell you they made it there by maintaining curiosity in their relationship. Evolving together. Having fun and laughing. Whether it’s work or a relationship, the true wisdom in longevity lies in a childlike spirit. You’ve been through it all, yet have resisted the urge to become jaded and callus. Siri - please set a reminder for me to re-read this in 60 years.

Here’s to embracing a level of childlike wonder in spite of the infinite number of things we could begrudge. For you who say this is view is altruistic or overly optimistic - it’s better than the opposite, right?

Read More
Jordan Sternberg Jordan Sternberg

Crossroads

I’m at a crossroads.

Departing one great employer for a new one. People could speculate why I didn’t stick around. The thing I would have them know is this - I wouldn’t trade my time at Firelands Health for anything. I learned so much. Cut my teeth. Met so many great people.

I also learned what quality leadership looks like and what it doesn’t.

I will cherish my time at Firelands. To my marketing and community outreach team - I will miss you most. I know you’ll all be successful in the future.

Life has many chapters. Some chapters are great and you want to savor them. Perhaps you don’t want those chapters to end. Some chapters tug at your heart.

The trick is to look ahead and keep reading – perhaps the next chapter could be even better than the last. I wonder what Bilbo Baggins would be like if he never would have gone on his adventure. However, I think I like the version where he does go on the adventure much better.

I’m excited to return to my amusement park family with Six Flags Entertainment Corporation. The company has all the opportunities to succeed and I’m thrilled to play a small part in my new social and digital content role.

The future is always unknown. However, I embrace the opportunity for change. After all, isn’t change the only thing that doesn’t change? Change is constant. Adapt - now that’s the antidote to change.

Read More
Jordan Sternberg Jordan Sternberg

Common ground. Shared mission.

Do you ever play chess, Uno, Hungry Hungry Hippos and Operation simultaneously? My guess is not.

Doesn’t everyday work and personal life often feel this way? You’ve got to get the emails down to less than 20, call back so-and-so from a week ago, be prepared for the meeting in an hour, reset your password for the third time this week, be sure your spouse and you are on the same page, and show up to smile at the kiddos at gymnastics.

We all play a series of games simultaneously in some shape or form.

I think the bottleneck in communication often occurs when the person you’re interacting with isn’t playing the same game you are, or at least not the same game at the same time. Or, maybe their rules are augmented from yours.

One issue you see a lot with spouses are discrepancies in gender roles. I think the problems more or less stem from different methodologies or approaches and lack of explicit clarity on who does what. Apply this to more than the issues between genders: profession, specialty, sport, etc. it’s infinitely complex.

I often see people lump issues they observe in others as character deficiencies. Their methodology differs from their counterpart, therefore the counterpart must be wrong. However, little does the critic know, but the other person thinks and operates in a totally different way. And it’s only fair to recognize disparate approaches when settling differences.

With all this in mind, I’m more interested a shared mission and how each party can use their unique talents to support said mission. This applies at work and at home. My philosophy for dishwashing cadence, how to dispense toothpaste (we all know those people who only squeeze from the middle), and generally divvying out responsibilies may differ from my spouse.

However, I’m not so worried how we’re different. I’d rather concentrate on how we can compliment one another. So too, friends, work colleagues, etc.

Think more today about your counterpart’s strengths and not their differences that you’re tempted to call deficiencies.

Read More
Jordan Sternberg Jordan Sternberg

Listen

Something I picked up on recently. This is especially useful in spousal relations. You can easily apply it across your personal and working relationships:

Someone you know will need to vent today. They don't need you to solve their problem. They don't need to you fix anything. They may not exactly be looking for advice. They just want to be heard. We all want to snap into action, but it's not always the proper response.

I often tell my four year old this and perhaps I too need to listen to my own words. God gave you two ears and one mouth for a reason.

Read More
Jordan Sternberg Jordan Sternberg

Open mindedness

I love my grandpa, God rest his soul. He was my best buddy. The man had some quirks though, as do I.

I want to concentrate on a specific idiosyncrasy here that always made me scratch my head. He often tried new restaurants upon grand opening, would have a "bad" experience, and proceeded to write them off. Forever. No going back. It was as though it was against the law to return to that restaurant ever again after the "bad" experience.

But, was it in fact the case that the restaurant was bad? Was it the results of opening kinks? Maybe another dissonant variable unbeknownst to its visitors? I'm hyper conscientious when it comes to communicating technically about points like these, as the details matter.

No one is exempt from hard-headedness.

Open mindedness is a solvent in cases like these. Unilaterally applying a generalized fact about a (insert noun here) does it a disservice. Investigate the facts. Ask questions. Go experience it again to test validity to ensure that the experience was an accurate depiction of the general user experience. Ask a friend what they thought.

After all, PHds do this all the time in experiments for a reason. Data and its validity talks.

Do I personally, "throw the baby out with the bathwater" on occasion? Perhaps. Like my grandpa, I am human. But, I also believe in second chances and reconsidering that I might have been wrong.

Read More
Jordan Sternberg Jordan Sternberg

Masters

I never ever thought I would get to this point in my life.

I completed my Master of Arts in Media and Communication at Bowling Green State University this week (no diploma in hand yet, but grades are posted).

Never having been a great student in high school, excelling only in core classes during undergrad and now to have mastered strategic communications with all As, I am astounded that this was even possible.

To me, it demonstrates the value of recognizing that there’s so much more beyond a typical high school education (I am not trying to diminish that here, just saying it's not a place where everyone can thrive).

My talents, as well as others that have had this experience, were outside of a typical high school curriculum. I never thought I would go anywhere based on my objective grades back then, but I never underestimated the potential of persevering to find where I fit in in this world.

I encourage you to do the same. You never know what door may be opened for you when you persevere and adopt a disposition of openness.

Read More
Jordan Sternberg Jordan Sternberg

Five years

I’m tired tonight. Thought about sitting this one out. I know, it’s only the second successional week. I spent most of the day washing both cars, smoking some delicious chicken and hosting dinner. In all seriousness, it wasn’t that bad, I’m just tired. Maybe it was the bourbon.

At any rate, this being a couple days after my fifth anniversary with Brittany, I thought it would be appropriate to talk about us.

Leading up to our relationship, I had dated many other women. I don’t really want to reflect on that much, other than the fact that after each one, I constantly felt the tug on my hear yearning for more. What was that more? Let just get this straight - what I sought was a woman who would hold me accountable, strive the same type of chastity that I desired, and had the same long-term goals that I had. I really wanted a woman who took her Catholic faith seriously, and allowed for it to drive her being.

Trust me, I had been in relationships where that was not focus nor direction. My conscientiousness envisioned the future with those other gals. I got the sense those prior to Brittany would lead me down the path of demise. I did not want to repeat the mistakes that preceded me. Divorce was not an option in my world.

On a more positive and happy note, during our time of courting, Brittany seemed to strike that perfect balance. She was the first woman that kept me in check with my faith. She was beautiful inside and out. She had a deep faith as well as an understanding of this world.

She was human. She also enjoyed a delicious cocktail at one of our first date nights at the Volstead. She knew how to be silly. She was human. She inspired me to want to be a better man. Generally, people these days look at discipline as a shackle. A way of holding them down. Brittany and I were disciplined before marriage. We sought to know each other in the way that was intended. It is my experience that the discipline in our relationship set a tone.

A fun anecdote. The night we went out to Volstead, we took a walk in the cold lakefront of Sandusky. I asked her if she knew which way was North. She pointed right towards Sandusky Bay. I explained to her that it was actually not directly towards Sandusky Bay, but a little more to the right toward the mouth of Lake Erie, just to the left of Cedar Point. She disagreed with a trick up my sleeve, I walked her down a block to Schade-Mylander Plaza. Little did she know it would make for a funny moment since there was a compass laid into the pavers indicating who was correct.

Brittany has such a faith that inspires me daily. She prayed endlessly for answers as to where she was going in life before we started dating. I find her connection to God to be one that is quite peculiar. So much so that the novena she prayed for an answer as to whether or not she would be to called to marriage ended the night before our first date. The novena was to St. Therese of Lisieux, if I’m not mistake. There have been many of these moments throughout our relationship where we’ve seen a direct response from God for our prayers. She just has a way with Him.

Anyway, I hope not to bore. The bottom line is, she is so very special. The five years we’ve spent as a married couple seem to be like a flash. It’s almost as thought it didn’t even happen that it happened so fast. I am thrilled to see where life takes us and what is next. We have been so abundantly blessed so far. Despite the ups and downs, I am so thrilled it’s her I have to contend with.

Dr. Jordan Peterson describes marriage as finding a person just as sniffling, and just as much of a liar as one find themselves to be. You find that person and shackle yourself to them and force them to tell the truth, just as they do for you. I find that synopsis quite intriguing. Where it’s dark, it’s also a realistic depiction in the most archetypical form. I often hear other married people talking about how their spouse behaved. Often times it comes with a story of what happened, and how they made amends to keep proceeding into the “happily ever after,” Healthy relationships recognize the necessity of those moments, not getting too far into the track of begrudging. If we’re honest with ourselves, we are all in that situation in any relationship and it’s not a bad thing.

Brittany and have these moment, just as many other couples do. Do they make me frustrated sometimes? Sure. Do they drive me to want to pull away completely and selfishly? Never. The alternative, I find, is much scarier that having the tough conversation. To face her when I’ve been a putz. I love her too much to turn away. I know it’s my duty to love her in good times and bad. To honor our vows. That just what I intend to do.

I love you, Brittany.

Read More