Marital Bliss

“For better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, from this day forward . . .” on a wonderful day, in a wonderful way, the vows were taken. Take a moment and remember . . . was it a church wedding – or maybe you were married in mama’s front room – maybe you had an outdoor wedding – or . . . shhhh . . . maybe you even eloped! However it happened – you were soooooo in love! You just knew you had the love that would last a lifetime.

Do you remember the communication you had before that wonderful day? So full of expectation, the exciting hopes of life together, the dreaming, the plans, the “I love you’s.”

Why is it that communication seems to be one of the biggest challenges we as couples face after, “the big day?” Funny isn’t it? Those of us who experience even the best of marriages have to constantly strive to make sure we communicate, we understand, and love is more than a “fuzzy, wuzzy” feeling – but a commitment that causes our love to mature along the way.

When we mention communication, I can’t help but think of something that happened to Mark and I a few years ago. (Yes, I communicated with him that I would like to share this story . . . and guess what? He was fine with it!)

We were (and still are) a happily married couple – with several children. It was a rather unusual, relaxing afternoon, and he was enjoying his “TV time.” Sometime during the day, I was ready for him to “come out of that box and communicate!” So, being the wonderful husband he is, he flipped off the TV (FINALLY ) and headed with me to the porch, where we could sit and talk. No sooner had we gotten settled when the boys were after him to “come and play basket ball.” He gave the most awesome response I could imagine at the time . . . “No, I’m spending time with Mommy.”

We were really getting somewhere! I was talking away about anything and everything I had on my mind – and he seemed to be listening attentively. Sometime in the course of these events, our boys decided to play football instead of basketball and moved their game to the yard RIGHT IN FRONT of the porch. They wanted him to come and be “all time QB” or something like that. He stayed put – after all he was spending time with mom. Things progressed quite normally . . . then . . . oh, then came the fateful play! I wasn’t paying a lick of attention to the football game, after all, I was communicating! Mark was LOOKING straight at ME, but his mind was in the game. Still looking at me, all of the sudden he says loudly, “DID YOU CATCH IT?” GRRR! Marital bliss? Actually, it was so funny I couldn’t possibly stay upset. Together we dissolved into laughter.

Communication isn’t easy because life throws us so many distractions. Between “challenges” and “opportunities” we can end up taking for granted the very one we need to love and care for the most. Sometimes we are “workin’ so hard” to make a “living” we forget to “slow down” and take time to “make a life.”

Why don’t we find a quiet moment today – or a few of them – look into each other’s eyes, and listen with our hearts. We might be surprised at the joy we “catch!”

Take it With You

“For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” Matthew19:4