I was putting our 2 year old daughter to bed the other night. After reading not one, but four different books I was ready to kiss her goodnight. She was not as ready as I was and began stalling by wanting to read yet another book. She pointed to her bookshelf. I held her up and she grabbed a favorite of mine, “Winnie the Pooh” by A.A. Milne. I said, “Honey this one isn’t for you yet, you’re a little young”. She insisted. We sat down in the rocking chair and I tried again to convince her, “it has too many words and not enough pictures” I told her. She would have none of it. We flipped pages for a while and then she was done. I put her to bed, but I decided to carry that copy of “Winnie the Pooh” with me when I left.

It might be few years before we read it together, but I decided to get the jump on it and reread. It had been awhile.

During my perusing I came across a beloved line that I hadn’t read in years. If you do not know the story or have never heard of “Winnie the Pooh” then I can do absolutely nothing for you on this one.

Piglet sidled up to Pooh from behind. "Pooh!" he whispered. "Yes, Piglet?" "Nothing," said Piglet, taking Pooh's paw. "I just wanted to be sure of you." ~A.A. Milne, from Winnie the Pooh.

“Being sure of someone” is vital for human relationships to not just survive, but thrive. Being sure of one another is how we build love and trust. Without love and trust, then we have no relationship.

When I marry a couple, the moment comes when I ask them for their wedding rings. I say a blessing and then remind the couple, as well as the guests what the wedding rings symbolize. I say “Your rings are symbols of your love. They are whole and without end, simple, yet strong. To one another and the world, they proclaim your commitment to each other for life.”

Said another way, building love requires being consistent in our words and deeds and this is how trust is established.