Love Letter: Overcoming Challenges, Together.

Relationships often come with their fair share of challenges, both big and small. However, learning to overcome these obstacles can strengthen your connection.

Nathan Friedman and Amanda Winer, who met during a Birthright Israel trip in 2015, learned quickly that a little adversity can be a bonding experience. Hours into their first date, in January 2016, Mr. Friedman had an allergic reaction to something he had eaten during their dinner. Instead of being turned off, Ms. Winer jumped into action and nursed Mr. Friedman back to health with the help of Benadryl.

A few years later, in 2019, they faced a more severe hurdle when Mr. Friedman was diagnosed with a life-threatening condition that required multiple surgeries to fix. Through it all, they endured every challenge together, which only proved to strengthen their bond. The couple were married on May 30 at Lighthouse Point Park in New Haven, Conn.

Many parents struggle with how to prepare their children for an uncertain future. For Paul Bogard, the writer of this week’s Modern Love essay, the bedtime stories that he read to his 2-year-old daughter often felt like a lie and a promise he couldn’t keep. Each tale of a flourishing green earth and animals roaming free in abundance only served to deepen his grief, as he feared the world he described in the pages of her favorite books would soon cease to exist.

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We’ve all changed in the last year and a half, and so have our relationships. Now is a great time to hit reset and bring fresh new energy into your love life. Here are seven ways to reconnect as a couple.