In marriage the best gift that one can give to their spouse is one's self. Too many times in the modern world we are unhappy because something we bought did not live up to our expectations. While sometimes our expectations may be unrealistic, still there are the many times that we should be getting what we paid for. Too many times we find we are short-changed.

While we do not "buy" one another in a marriage, it still is a serious investment and far more valuable than what can be bought in dollars and cents. While it still may take a lifetime for some people to know themselves as they really are, in the marriage vows we are implicitly stating that we are presenting a real person to our partner.

In both the Marriage and Engaged Encounter programs, we hear a lot about the "masks" we wear. This is the polished up or cosmetic image that people wear on special occasions and does not often give a real picture of the real person, their habits, and behavior. In many cases, couples before and in the early days of marriage wear their "Sunday best." And, there may be an awakening with some expressions like "Oh, I didn't know you were like that."

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