If you read my last blog, you know my husband, Mike, and I had made our way from Los Angeles to Sedona, Arizona, for a much-needed vacation.

Despite getting off to a bit of a shaky start, we rebounded rather nicely. We enjoyed relaxing by the pool while catching up on our summer reading. We noshed and napped at our leisure, and each day we ventured out to explore the high desert and the magic of Red Rock Country. Life was, in a word, sweet.

I confess that en route to our destination, I’d had some serious misgivings about our relationship surviving this trip. Away from the familiarity of his “home turf,” Mike’s struggle with short-term memory loss was clearly amplified. So, for my own sanity and to help him feel more comfortable in our new surroundings, I came up with a game plan before we even crossed the threshold of our home away from home. It was an ingenious stratagem, if I do say so myself!

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When my husband Mike’s memory issues began affecting our relationship, we chose our separate paths for dealing with it. His was denial; mine was stoicism.

By nature, I am a pretty emotive person, so hiding my feelings didn’t come easily for me. Usually, stoicism would not be my first choice of coping strategies but, at the time, it was very expeditious. We were planning our wedding and had a lot on our plates. Staying focused on the positive seemed to be in everyone’s best interest. I had no doubts we’d be just fine: After all, we really loved each other… right?

Our marriage is a gift from God. My husband and I truly love each other. Perhaps because we met so late in life, it seems like we’re still on our honeymoon, even as our third anniversary nears. My honeymoon with stoicism, however, did not last. I embraced it for awhile, but was not altogether thrilled with the results. Eventually, I turned to my dictionary and looked the word up, just to be certain I was practicing stoicism correctly. What I found was not encouraging, because it seemed awfully extreme.

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