Marriage Moats-Reverberations

Published: Wed, 10/03/12

Marriage Moats

Caring for Marriage

Yesterday John and I sang together for a ceremony at church. The musician before us played the organ, and as her music reverberated in the cathedral I could hear my guitar strings quietly echoing the sound. I smiled to think that an instrument a hundred yards away in the balcony could coax a response from my slender strings. The organ and the woman on the bench had no idea of their influence. They were fully engaged with creating a piece from Bach. But I heard the buzz, like a bee hovering over delphiniums.

Later that day we met a couple we are mentoring at a cafe. We chatted about toddlers, and interrupted sleep. John and I listened more than we talked, giving them the space to tell what the introduction to parenthood has been like for them. They are expecting another baby this winter, and are a bit nervous about handling two.

"I remember when one of our preschoolers loved to bounce up and down in front of the baby in a stroller. He never seemed to get tired of making her laugh and she definitely never reached a saturation point for watching him make funny faces." I pulled the thirty year old memory off of a high shelf.

The young woman smiled.

"Our daughter loves to make funny faces," her husband said. I could hear the faint buzz of my story resonating in their minds. It seemed to transition their anxiety to anticipation. Maybe they could do this after all.

A vibrant marriage can send out waves of influence that the couple are unaware of. The other day I saw a sweet couple in their late sixties walking hand in hand. He survived a heart attack, and she beat cancer. Their friendship made my own heart thrum as I drove by.

And they had no idea.

Photo by Andy Sullivan

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