After getting married, this young couple was handed a wedding gift that they were instructed to not open. The aunt who had provided the gift told them that there was only one condition where they could actually see what was hiding inside. Now, after nearly 9 years, they finally opened the gift and made a shocking realization.
Kathy and Brandon Gunn had been married for almost nine years, and yet there was one wedding present that still sat unopened atop a shelf in their closet. The gift was given to them by Kathy’s great Aunt Alison with strict instructions scrawled across the envelope attached to the box – “Do not open until first disagreement”.
However, over the years, the couple refused to open it for a different reason than what Aunt Alison intended.
Despite having disagreements throughout their marriage, Kathy and Brandon remained adamant about not touching the package. In a post on Facebook, Kathy explained why they chose to wait so long before opening it. Kathy stated that her and her husband had “plenty of disagreements, arguments, and slammed doors” throughout their marriage. “There were even some instances where we both considered giving up but we never opened the box,” she wrote.
It wasn’t until one night when they had put their 6-year-old daughter and 3-year-old son to bed that everything changed for them. After retreating onto their deck with glasses of wine in hand, they began discussing an upcoming wedding that they would be attending in Kalamazoo – the same place they met and went to college together.
As Kathy and Brandon discussed what present would make for a perfect gift for the newlyweds, Kathy recalled her own wedding day and all of the gifts that meant most to her at that time. She realized then that all along there had been something special sitting on a shelf unopened – Aunt Alison’s present. According to Kathy, they were “too stubborn and determined” not to open the box.
They saw it as a symbol of failure so instead of embracing what could’ve possibly been inside; they avoided it at all costs without realizing its real value. Every time during an argument when thoughts arose such as “Is this really bad enough? Maybe this isn’t our worst fight? What if there’s worse ahead?” kept them from taking any action towards opening the box.
After nearly nine years since being married and three moves later – sometimes across states – finally was time for opening up Aunt Alison’s gift after realizing how strong their relationship really was despite all bumps along life’s road which made them who they are today: true partners in life who understand each other perfectly well hence knowing what is best between two individuals sharing love through thick and thin times.
Inside were two handwritten notes – one addressed to each spouse – cash money and also crystal flower vase, bath soap and lotion among few other things as well which made evident how much thought went into choosing these items as part of this unique present from Great Aunt Alison.
All along while ignoring this package sitting untouched atop shelf within closets over decades taught valuable lessons such as tolerance, understanding and patience.
