There is some likeness between marriage and religion. They are both
concerned with the emergence of the larger self. It is the finding of
one's life by losing it. Such is the privilege of husband and wife, to
be each himself and herself, but yet another to face the world strong
with the strength of two, rich with the wisdom of two, and brave with the
courage of two. The high and fine art of married life is in this mutual
enrichment, mental and spiritual, this give and take between two
personalities. It is a union most sacred and most serious, requiring of
those who enter into it a complete and unreserved giving of self. Two
are bound together for life in a relationship so close and so intimate
that it will profoundly affect their whole lives. That future with its
hopes and disappointments, its successes and its failures, its pleasures
and its pains, its joys and its sorrows are hidden from the eyes. Love
can make it easy, perfect love can make it a joy. The hand offered to
the other is an extension of self, just as is the love that goes with
it. That touch is to be cherished, for it touches another life. Be ever
sensitive to its pulse. Seek always to understand and respect its rhythm.
