Andrew proposed to me in front of the Pieta statue at St. Benedict’s in Atchison, KS. Both of us kneeling in prayer, he looked at me and said, “I love you with my entire heart. I entrust you with my soul. And I want to honor you with the rest of my life.” The question came and all I could do was cover my mouth to stifle my happy laughter from echoing in church.
One month shy of five years in, our marriage involves a lot of activity done side by side – raising/managing the boys, keeping the house, even late nights blogging. Our life is fairly simple with few surprises and, at least for me, it’s been easy to settle into the predictability. It’s been easy for me to forget that our marriage is our road to Heaven, and easy to forget that our shared task is to assist each other in getting there.
My days are full of little to-dos like reading to the boys and making dinner; what I need to do is focus on these deeds in light of the ultimate goal of Andrew’s salvation and my own of course. Is the spirit with which I perform the dull and mundane inspiring him to be a better man? Am I emulating Christ in my approach? It’s somewhat embarrassing realizing my own negligence toward this effect and that my negligence stems from focusing on myself just a liiiiitle too much. Lately I’ve been realizing that I need to keep this up whether we get along or not. In times of tempest, I try to remember that our sacramental marriage is a million times bigger than any obstacle – petty or not-so-petty – and that we’re a team with the same heavenly ambition.
If more young couples today had just a tiny amount of your understanding and devotion to the sacrament of marriage, I think we might witness more lasting marriages. By way of tv, we see brides focusing on details of the Wedding but there seems to be little concern, if any, for the Marriage. Your words about the everyday-ness of marriage and your feelings of responsibility toward the salvation of his soul as well as yours are such an inspiration! May God continue to bless you and your family.