Marriage Moats- Another Proposal

Published: Fri, 11/22/19

Another Proposal

Caring for Marriage

It has been awhile, but another marriage proposal appeared in my inbox this week. I deleted it. The next day the same man, with subtitles in Arabic, proclaimed his love for me.

I have no bearings for why someone would reach out to an imperfect stranger on another continent with a request to permanently change the course of their life. He has subscribed to these daily emails, but does he read them? Is it not clear that I am already married? Or is that irrelevant? Does he know how old I am? Does he care?

The whole scenario baffles me with my lack of understanding about marriage in another culture. Are such commitments made as casually as I order a book on Amazon? Which is, after all, ridiculously easy. A few clicks and it appears at my threshold. Does this man in Saudi Arabia expect me to appear on his?

When the first emails of this kind appeared a few years ago I was frightened. Who were these people sending me propositions based on nothing more than the name of my blog? But people smarter than me assured me that he or it will not stalk me, and does not know the particulars of where I live. I calmed down. Now I am more curious. Why do people send such messages? What does marriage mean in the Arab world?

Even my questions are simplistic. There is not a short answer that encompasses the aspirations of an entire town, much less a region. I don't expect to find a reprieve for my ignorance anytime soon.

But it does render me grateful for the sacred promise one man made to me forty years ago.

Love,
Lori

Photo by Chara Smith