2018, September 1, Letter from Jake

 Mom and Dad,

In the last few years, as I've seen the already sad relationship deteriorate further between Meredith's parents, I have felt overwhelming grateful to be blessed with the gift of parents who love each other. I admit, I took this immense blessing for granted. I believe this is largely due to the fact that prior to my own marriage, I had never come close to being exposed to the type of relationship my in-laws have. I thought that's how all married couples acted, or at least to some extent.

As you can imagine, it is incredibly difficult on Meredith (and her siblings and their families) to frequently observe her parents' awful behavior towards each other. But we, the Jacob and Meredith Partridge family, are delighted to observe the love you both have for each other. We are blessed by your efforts.

I know from my own experience that it takes effort, and while no one relationship or no one person is perfect, we're blessed significantly by those efforts–as are those around us who are inspired by these efforts to love each other and work through the difficult times together.

Again, thank you for the love you two share with us. It has helped me immensely in my own marriage, and it has, and continues to inspired me to focus on loving Meredith, Erica, Jill, Fredrick, and Alexander.

Love,

Jake

Jacob Partridge

Cell 562-417-4749

jacobpartridge@gmail.com