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On Marriage: Year 7

Yosemite, February 2020

Today you become the heirs of a legacy of togetherness. Together you will dream dreams. Together you will make plans. Together you will face moments of unutterable joy. Together you will face moments of inexpressible sorrow. Despair not when the inevitable moments of personality adjustment arise, for they may be the stepping stones to higher levels of self-completion. Be not dismayed when the buoyancy of fulfillment is transformed into the fatigue of disappointment, for this is apart of the changing scenery of life. Like the ever-flowing water of the river, life has its moments of drought and its moments of flood. Like the ever-changing cycle of the seasons, life has the piercing chill of its winters and the soothing warmth of its summers.

If you feel that the fountain of love is running dry in your marriage, seek desperately to fill it anew; for without love marriage is like a parched and dried up dessert without the refreshing oasis of happiness. If you are tempted to stumble from the mountain of love, seek passionately to reach the high places again; for without truth marriage is like a ship without a compass.
 
Love, trust, loyalty, and mutual respect are the pillars upon which the temple of marriage must be built. If these elements are there the storms may come and the winds may blow, but they will not upset the temple of your marriage, for it is founded upon a solid rock.

 

This is an excerpt from the standard marriage ceremony text Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. used in his ministry, which I stumbled upon recently. We are well past our wedding day, but this spoke deeply to me as I reflect on this year, which has been disorienting on micro and macro levels. We made plans, some which fell apart. We experienced dark moments of pain and loss, and also the healing strength of love and partnership. There are no words to express my gratitude for our marriage this year, as it feels like the one true constant I can rely on. When I pause to look back, I only have tears.

---

Rewind:
On Marriage: Year Six
On Marriage: Year Five
On Marriage: Year Four
On Marriage: Year Three
On Marriage: Year Two
On Marriage: Year One
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