Kathy and Brandon Gunn have been married for nine years and have yet to open any of the many wedding presents they received when they got married.
Aunt Alison, Kathy’s great aunt, gave her a white box as a gift, which she kept on top of a shelf in their closet for many years.
However, it wasn’t because the couple didn’t like the present. Aunt Alison suggested opening the present after the couple had their first fight.
A wedding present came with an envelope that read, “Do not open until first argument.”

Kathy and Brandon agreed to follow Aunt Alison’s wishes and wait until they had their first quarrel before opening Aunt Alison’s gift.
Although they have argued and argued throughout their 9-year marriage, Kathy and Brandon have never opened a present.

“I honestly believe we both avoided looking at the box because it would have represented our failure.” To us, it would have suggested we were incapable of making our marriage work – and we’re far too ambitious and determined to let that happen.”
It forced us to reconsider our positions.” Was it time to take the box out of the box? Could this be our toughest battle yet? What if the storm gets worse and we don’t have our box? “Nothing is ever so bad that it could not get worse, as my great uncle Bill used to say,” she explained.
While the couple was considering what to purchase for a wedding in Kalamazoo, Kathy remembered Aunt Alison’s present, which had left an indelible impression on her.

Then they unwrapped the present. As soon as they opened the package, Kathy and Brandon noticed two letters, one addressed to Kathy and one to Brandon.
The letters contained even money.
Kathy’s note said, “Go grab a pizza, shrimp, or whatever you both like.”

Brandon was advised to grab flowers and a bottle of wine in the letter.

As well as the messages, the couple received a crystal vase, two crystal wine glasses, bath soap, moisturizer, and bubbles, all for when they most needed them.

Kathy writes, “All along, we imagined the contents of that box contained the secret to salvaging a marriage – an age-old technique we were ignorant of.”
Kathy went on to say that it was the profound message behind the box that mean so much to her, not the contents.

After all, my Great Aunt and Uncle had been married for almost 50 years. So we hoped the box would save ‘us,’ and it did in a sense.”
Kathy and Brandon opted to address their problems and find solutions to their disagreements rather than open the box in the early days of their marriage, which has helped their relationship to grow.
Aunt Alison’s present was very thoughtful!
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