Marriage Moats- Out of Nowhere?
Published: Thu, 05/17/12
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 John and I had the pleasure of leading a marriage weekend near Chicago. It was a medley of events, including a coffee house brimming with love songs, a discussion of how we can support marriage in our busy lives, a women's circle, a men's circle and a banquet with floral bouquets and capped with a slide show. If you had asked me at 8:45 pm how I felt I would have assured you that my cup was full. The day had been completely enjoyable. Then at 8:48 a couple who have been dating for five years stood up to sing one final song. But instead of music they offered an announcement. They were engaged.
The room erupted with an explosion of emotion, cheers, hugs, tears, questions, back slapping, singing and more smiles than could be counted on both hands. It was as if someone opened a fire hose of joy.
Where did the exuberance come from? Was it in our pockets waiting for a reason to come out of hiding? Or was it conceived in that instant?
Personally I think there was an unobtrusive skylight that fell open, unleashing a stream of affection to come surging through. Everyone in the room was elated, single people, married people, divorced people, widows. If more friends had been present there would have been plenty for them as well.
In a world that frets about the scarcity of natural resources, and fair wages, it is startling to be in the presence of abundance. If it were possible to quantify the cumulative happiness in the room, I would make a brash estimate that it spiked from 98 to 12,493 in the space of time it took to utter three words.
"We're getting married."
"To feel the joy of another as joy in oneself, that is love."
Photo by Joy Feerrar
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