Who doesn’t know who Earvin “Magic” Johnson is? We all watched him play for the legendary Los Angeles Lakers basketball team and we also remember when he announced that he was HIV+. But Magic isn’t just a retired basketball legend that tested positive for HIV; he is also a husband of 22 years to Cookie. Magic says they are the perfect pair that is how they have been able to make it all these years. Are you and your spouse the “perfect pair?” They shared their story with Oprah Winfrey on her show: Oprah’s Next Chapter but their story is exactly what many of us want in our marriage: Longevity and True Love!
The Perfect Pair
No couple (or individual) is perfect so that means there are no perfect marriages; however, we work really hard in our marriages to complement our spouses. Johnson and his wife recognized early on that for their marriage to work, they would have to work together as a team to overcome all the obstacles his past is bringing into their present and their future.
The day Johnson told his wife the devastating news, at that moment they made the decision that they will work through this together. He stated that Cookie hit him over the head and said “WE are going to beat this together. Let’s get on our knees and pray.”
That was the turning point for their marriage, for them as a unit but also for them as individuals. In marriage, we say the vows “through sickness and health, for richer or poorer” but we don’t anticipate having to live up to those words so quickly (2 months) in our marriage.
Would you be able to withstand such a hardship in your marriage?
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Transitioning TWOgether
In marriage, you become one-a complete unit. As a unit, you must work together to build a solid foundation for your marriage to grow through all the transitions. Who you are when you say “I Do” will not be the couple you will be in 5 years, 10 years or even 50 years. Our marriages transition throughout the years.
To move through the many transitions of marriage, you must be the best support system for your spouse as you can be. Magic stated that the one thing Cookie did for him was allowed him to be him. This is an important thing to remember.
As you and your spouse merge, you still have a voice, a personality, an identity. Don’t lose yourself in your marriage instead allow your marriage to mold you into a better YOU.
There will be ups and there will be downs in marriage. Start now with understanding who you are and who you are in your marriage. Make sure that you are represented and respected in your marriage while you are allowing your spouse to be represented and respected.
Appreciate who your spouse is and where they are in life. Work together to achieve the goals you set for yourself and your marriage. Work as a team. As with the Johnson’s, if you approach a situation together, you can overcome anything that is thrown at your marriage. It takes determination and teamwork.
[…] “famous” for but my respect and love for Magic and Cookie Johnson came when they were interviewed by Oprah Winfrey last year. Their story is definitely a TESTimony that many can be inspired […]