Since my parents did not grown up near each other, the early part of their relationship developed through the breadth of self-disclosure. Self-disclosure is a deliberate and gradual process of revealing significant information about one's self to another that would not normally be known by others. Because most of their past was not known to each other, there was a lot of information that needed to be shared about their past experiences, likes and dislikes, and goals for the future. Having begun their relationship with a great deal of self-disclosure, it prepared them for a lifelong practice of sharing.

All of the four dimensions of intimacy are very evident in my parent's relationship, and shown in their lives at different levels, appropriate for the time and occasion. The one that I have noticed the most is shared intimacy. Shared intimacy is displayed in my parent's life through the things they do together and the affection they show towards one another. Because my father is a missionary, both of my parents go over to Tri-Cities from Saturday until Wednesday every week. They work together helping to guide and counsel young people through their difficulties, visit families, and encourage the elderly. The time that they spend side by side every week creates and expresses intimacy in their relationship, though not all time spent together can be considered intimate. At home they are also involved in many activities together. Although a lot of the activities they do together are work related, they are not all that way. They always want to do as many things as possible together whether it is recreational, business, shopping, or church activities. Although my father hates shopping and my mother can't stand sports, they both are willing to do what the other wants out of respect for each other and so they can spend time together. They both appreciate the rewards of the intimacy that they share.

When I look at my parent's relationship it makes me hope that

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Approximate Word count = 924
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)