Part 2: Addendum

{James' point of view}

For the sake of completion in our story, I must say that there was a part of our conversation during our second date that deeply disturbed me. We had both felt that, since our relationship was moving along so fast, we should share some of our pasts with each other, and part of what Valerie shared with me turned out to be very hard for me to deal with. At first, I thought to myself, "Oh well, we all have our pasts. Just look at what I told her!" But throughout that night and most of the next day, I literally could not stop dwelling on what we had talked about. It finally got to the point of near inner consumption, and I asked one of my best friends, Damian Parente, to give me a priesthood blessing. I didn't tell him what it was that was bothering me, but the blessing he gave me was so full of specific counsel that it was impossible to deny the Spirit's influence. The most striking counsel I received was that I would bear this trial for the sake of my future family, and the Spirit simultaneously told me that this trial was of my own making, not that of Valerie's or anyone else's.

Overall, the experience was extremely valuable to not only my growth, but the growth of my relationship with Valerie. I was ultimately able to move past my so-called trial and focus on what actually mattered; loving and caring for the love of my life, Valerie.