Happiness in Marriage W ell, we did it again! A layer of drywall dust has settled on most every piece of furniture in every room in the house. The carpet is ripped up and rolled up where the dining room table was, exposing a bare subfloor. Wires dangle where light fixtures once burned brightly, and the downstairs shower is out of commission and upstairs hot water is out, and will be until the tile work is finished. The doorbell is broke and strange people are in our house each day. You guessed it. We’re remodeling. Our house is getting an extensive face-lift. In fact, it’s more like radical surgery. There are four things nobody can deny who has endured remodeling. 1. It takes longer than you planned 2.
It costs more than you figured.
3.
It is messier than you anticipated.
4.
It requires greater determination than you expected.
make each day, snap, crackle, and, pop. Sure, keeping a house up is work. The newness takes away the hassle. As time passes, however, things change. Slowly, almost imperceptibly, the grit of responsibility mixed with the grind of routine starts to take its toll. Most of us have experienced it. Bills come due. Weeds sprout. Doors squeak and sag. Windows stick. Paint peels. Roofs leak. Faucets drip. Drains clog. Floors lose their luster. The “Fun” erodes into relentless, demanding, irritating tasks. Then, we watch the old movie “The Way We Were.” At this point many have entertained the thought of selling out. Laws in our country have made it easier to bail out than to work through our marriage. On top of all of that so many “authorities” say “it’s easier to start a new fire which is so much more exciting than stoking an old one.” No wonder young adults don’t get married.
Deep down inside you, there’s something tugging at you, urging you to stay at it, to pay the price, to stir up what’s there rather than kick aside the charred remains A marriage is a lot like our house. When we first moved in, of what was a glowing fire. Its time to get happy being it sparkles. Fresh smells, fun surprises and new discoveries married. Remember these words, I love you, …for better,
10
May 2021
