A Perfect Marriage

My daughter is getting married in a few weeks. In discussion with friends, I told them I thought we had a perfect marriage. I have done a lot of thinking about this, since I have time to do that and I wanted to write something thoughtful in her wedding book. I think of a marriage as a framework for two very imperfect people to use to interact with each other on a daily basis. Kind of like a freeway, or a go kart track, if you will. There are rules to follow, lights to be obeyed, give and take, tight turns and breezy straightaways. This framework, when properly and carefully applied, allows both people to grow into the people they were meant to be, allows for successful child rearing, career growing, personal and spiritual growth. If the rules are applied equally, then each partner will take their turn with the responsibilities specific to them, and neither will be doing all the driving. This framework takes years to build and master, but as it it mastered it becomes more and more important. For each challenge that comes, both imperfect people remember what worked and what didn't and will remember that tight turn and that curve and do what is necessary to successfully complete it. A marriage's goal is to get two people, and their little ones, from the beginning of a life together to the end. It is possible to do it well, evenly perfectly.