When Kathy Gunn married her husband Brandon nine years ago, her great aunt Alison gave the couple a present that came with a card detailing instructions that told the couple not to open the present until they reached an important milestone.

Kathy and Brandon followed Alison’s instructions, not opening the box even when they almost gave up on their marriage. It wasn’t until nine years into their marriage that they finally decided it was time to see what was inside the box.

When they opened the box, Kathy and Brandon were at a high point in their marriage. Their children had been tucked into bed, and they were enjoying a glass of wine together when they decided it was time to open it.

“We were talking about how excited we were to attend an upcoming wedding in Kalamazoo (where we met and went to college) and discussing what would be the perfect gift for the newlyweds,” Kathy recalled. “So, I thought back to our wedding day (nearly 9 years ago) and tried to recall the gifts that had meant the most to me. The funny thing? The gift that meant the very most was still sitting in a closet. unopened.”

When they opened a gift they found some cash along with a note that read, “Kathy, go get a pizza, shrimp, or something you both like. Go get a bath ready.”

Brandon was instructed to use the money to buy some flowers and a bottle of wine.

Kathy went on to explain why they did not open the box for so long.

“To us, it would have meant that we didn’t have what it takes to make our marriage work – and we’re both too stubborn and determined for that. So, it forced us to reassess situations,” she said. “Was it really time to open the box? What if this isn’t our worst fight? What if there’s a worse one ahead of us and we don’t have our box?!? As my Great Uncle Bill would say, ‘Nothing is ever so bad that it couldn’t get worse.'”

Kathy added that they had always thought the box would hold the secret to staying married, as Alison had been married to her husband for over fifty years.

“For 9 years (and three moves) that box sat high on a shelf in various closets gathering dust, yet it somehow taught us about tolerance, understanding, compromise and patience,” Kathy said. “Our marriage strengthened as we became best friends, partners, and teammates. Today, we decided to open that box, because I finally had a realization. I realized that the tools for creating and maintaining a strong, healthy marriage were never within that box – they were within us.”

“That box went beyond what I believe my Great Aunt had intended,” she concluded. “It was by far the greatest wedding gift of all.”