Anyway, she announced on her blog the other day that she and her husband were splitting up. I was shocked. You know how it is, you become familiar with folks online, they're sort of celebrities, but at the end of the day, they're just folks like the rest of us.
So, I got over my surprise and a friend who knows of this woman said we need to pray for a restoration of their marriage. Excellent idea, and one to put into practice. Healing, always a good thing.
It's curious how a divorce, or a marriage that's suffering, puts a different light even on ordinary circumstances. While now I'll be busy with working in my journal cutting out and gluing magazine photos. Gary might be re-filling his vapors with the liquids he gets in the mail. We'll pack a box of books for his parents to read. I'll whip up a bowl of chicken salad for dinner. But if you put the angst of divorce in the mix, all of those occupations carry a different sort of weight. Or I imagine they do. I've not been divorced so am just putting my spin on what I think might happen. And I'm not cocky enough to be real sure of my idea, but I think it's valid. The mundane isn't as precious when a relationship is safe. After hurtful and permanent words are said, cherishing those chores we take for granted just feels different.
I'm one who thinks that marriage is delicate and needs to be treated with care. It's easy, so easy to let one day go by with anger and not resolve it. Or to be insensitive. Or to cheat. Or be less than honest. Or get to the point in a gradual way where you don't love the other person like you used to. As I said, it requires care, that I do know about. Even if you believe in the 'til death do us part' bit of the marriage ceremony, you almost have to put the word divorce completely out of your vocabulary. And you can't let your guard down, assuming your mate will stay faithful in all the ways you promised you'd be faithful. A person has to be vigilant. Assume nothing.
