Marriage Moats- Celebrate!- Part 8
Published: Fri, 06/08/12
| Marriage Moats | Caring for Marriage | ||||
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 The two couples had had difficulty finding a mutually agreeable time for their next meeting because the Soneson's youngest daughter was expecting her third baby. Marjorie was staying with them to help with the other children. Larry met with Mona and Harvey without her. "Having her gone makes me love her more," Larry sighed. "I know many dear people who weather the separation of death, and still express love and growth in their relationships. But I have no desire to experience it first hand." He twisted the three interlocking rings he wore that symbolized their partnership with God. Both Larry and Marjorie had made them in a jewelry class they attended at a marriage conference the year before.
Mona did not want to trample the moment by speaking. She savored the chance to watch Larry tenderly missing his wife. It was a bittersweet echo of the times she peeked at her mother sitting on the back deck after her father left.
Larry looked up. "Celebration is another part of your commitment. Each Valentine's Day, the couples we have shepherded through marriage all join together for a party. It began in our own living room, when there were only a handful of couples. Then it grew to the church hall, and more recently we started renting a banquet room. Now it is over eight hundred people, as we invite mentors to be the guests of the couples they mentor. It is a catered dinner, with live entertainment provided by the couples themselves. Some sing, or play piano duets, or juggle. One couple does a comedy routine that rocks the house. They act out common miscommunications like the ones you read from Dave Barry. Another couple created a fabulous video of how couples start to look like each other more over the years. They photoshopped it or something. I can't remember when I have ever laughed so hard."
"Sounds kinda expensive, being catered and all," Harvey's mind often rocketed to the bill.
"It's an allowable expense from the fund." He winked.
Mona's blue eyes were big, and Larry thought they looked brighter than usual. "I love a party," she squeezed Harvey's hands. "Are those evenings really special?"
"A few couples have moved out of state since the time I performed their wedding. They almost always make it back for the Valentine's Day Bash. No one wants to miss it. It is a chance to see people who are on the same journey, and who value marriage as much as you do. There are door prizes, awards for couples who coordinate their outfits, and dancing. For people who are in a great place, it is a chance to celebrate. For couples who are faltering, it is an incentive to keep going." Larry chuckled as he recalled past events.
"There is a wall where couples post photos under the number of years they have been married. We give roses to couples on their tenth, twentieth, thirtieth and fortieth anniversaries."
"Has anyone reached their fortieth yet?" Mona asked.
"No, but we will still be together when they do," Larry nodded.
to be continued
Photo by Andy Sullivan
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