As husbands, we want to do something that is special for our wives as often as we can. Sometimes, we may do things that they don’t even recognize, and that is what Bill Bresnan did.
Bill was working as an instructor to prepare students who were going to be working in the securities industry. The year was 1974 and he noticed a ‘beautiful blonde’ and she caught his eye.
In fact, he mentioned it, saying: “She was this beautiful Northern European woman who struck me like a bolt of lightning.”
That was the first time that he ever saw Kirsten and later, he said: “It didn’t take long for an even more serious attraction to develop.”
The two of them got closer to each other and started spending some time together. They would scribble on paper napkins as they shared coffee with each other and it wasn’t long before they started sending cards and letters.
Kiersten was a serious scrapper and saved them in books. She would collect the letters as he wrote them. It all built into the relationship that only grew stronger and eventually, they were married.
When they were celebrating their 40th anniversary in 2015, Bill had something to say. He said: “Every day – 365 days per year, each year – I write to my wife.”
They opened 25 boxes that were in the attic together and it showed the writings that he had for his wife. Every letter was signed: “I love you madly, my Darling.” He also included two kisses and an infinity symbol.
Over the years, he had written some 10,000 letters to his bride. He said: “They’re essentially a love diary. For example, I could pick out a day in 1982, and it’ll begin with the restaurant we ate in or a movie we saw and then a reaction to that.”
Even when they were apart, he would send cards and letters to her in the mail. These days, however, he is still crazy about her but his biggest fear is forgetting because of his age.
The two of them have spent 40 years in marriage together and have never had a fight, not even once. He said that they may disagree but they talk it out rather than arguing.
Then came the big question that everybody was asking. What was the key to a successful marriage. He said: “The key to any relationship is that you both have to work at it every day…And never go to bed mad. Talk about everything. Everything should get resolved before your goodnight kiss.”
He adds, “I see youngsters at restaurants sitting across from each other buried in their screens but never talking or looking at each other. I want them to enjoy the time they have with each other and treasure it.”