The challenges of married life

Seven months in and Michael and I are rapidly discovering that marriage actually does involve a lot of hard work. We didn’t start our married life thinking that we’d live happily ever after without any effort required but we didn’t realise that our expectations would change as much as they have, or anticipate what a strain the effects of bereavement can be. We are learning that communication really is the key – again, it has been a surprise to discover that something we thought we were both very good at is not always as easy as we expect it to be.