Marriage School


I approached the entryway of the house I was greeted with the music of laughter and excitement. Suddenly I was aware of how elevated my heartbeat had become. I was instantly swept into a fantasyland of celebration. The house was filled with family and friends from the combined lifetimes of the young couple and their families. Decorations were simple and elegant. The massive dining room table overflowed like a magnificent waterfall with splendidly wrapped gifts. A radiantly lit sunroom served as the showplace for a grand holiday style feast that quietly tantalized all those who gazed at it. The joy from the union that was taking place in a few weeks seemed to radiate from within the log walls of this cozy homestead.

As the festivities progressed throughout the afternoon, I found myself drawn into a conversation that I was drinking in as fast as the words of those conversing were spilling out. In between bouts of laughter and reminiscing I gained an invaluable lifetime lesson. I took advantage of these fleeting moments to listen intently to the groom’s mother; grandmother and aunt speak of the preparations they had gone through for this wedding over the last year. They spoke so naturally of the events that I knew this was just who they were—people of example. This wise and thoughtful family had intentionally taken turns ‘schooling’ the young couple in the art of marriage. They had specifically planned time to visit and talk with the soon-to-be-married couple about their expectations of marriage. They spoke of the roles in marriage. They shared the joys and struggles of their own marriages. They spoke to them together and separately, about the responsibilities of marriage. Over casual meals together they allowed the naive couple the freedom to ask questions about anything that concerned their future marital relationship.

These clever family members gave this couple, a safe, caring community of healthy and experienced married couples to draw from. They, as a family, literally labored to work the soil and help establish solid, fertile ground for the young couple to build their marriage on. Most importantly they modeled marriage and family for them.

The wealth of the treasures given to this couple will only be realized and honored over time. They will one day come to know that because of the efforts of the generations before them, they’ve experienced the riches of marriage and family. They have been well trained. It is now their responsibility and obligation to model their marriage and someday work the soil for their children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews.

Last Christmas I received a photo card from this couple only now they are three! They adopted a child in need of a good home and I believe this child hit the jackpot!