My family has a little cottage up on Lake Erie that we spend a couple weeks at a summer.

It's been my favorite place since birth and a place that holds a very, very special place in my heart.

So, you can imagine my reaction when my husband told me this past summer:

"I'm not really excited about going up there, it's not my favorite place. I just don't like the Lake."

Ugh.

Talk about a crushing conversation.

He also went on to say that he's not like me which means my favorite things/places are not his favorite things/places.

I thought I had grasped this awhile ago, but I also have that conflicting thought which my mind says, "He should love it because you do. He should be excited because you are."

Relationships are hard because, if you're anything like me, *cough cough* Type A, then you expect everyone around you to be as particular, hard working, and organized as you are.

Wrong.

It may seem like a "no duh" statement, but think about it. Do you ever find yourself assuming that your boyfriend, fiance, girlfriend, etc. likes Finding Nemo? Or Pizza? Or Swimming? Or Summer?

Owen and I first started dating because we felt we had so many similarities. That's a good thing right? He liked basketball, I liked basketball. He liked history, I liked history. And so on and so forth.

We quickly began to realize that we were not similar in the slightest. Except our love of sports and our athleticism, we were hit with a wall that said, "Opposite Alert!"

Since then we have been on the up hill climb to accept when one person doesn't necessarily like something the other really likes.

For example: the Lake.

My heart is truly and honestly at the lake; I can't emphasize it enough. So, when my husband told me a this summer that he really didn't like the lake, it slammed me back quite a bit.

How did I deal with it? How am I dealing with it?

I keep repeating to myself that it's okay that Owen doesn't like the lake as much as I do. That my feelings for the lake are special to myself, it's a part of who I am, a part of my heart.

This is a problem I have to give to God because it is a heart issue. I have to give it to Him and say, "Please help my heart understand, please help me understand."

The greatest wisdom comes from The One above and when we find these heartbreaking differences with people who are close to us, all we can really do is step back and say:

"Hey God, I'm going to let you handle this one."

For now, I'm going to enjoy the place I love because it is my special haven.