Marriage

What is marriage? The definition of marriage has always varied depending on the cultural, religion and political circumstances of a particular society.  In Puerto Rico the legal definition of marriage is:  A civil institution that issues from a civil contract under which a man and a woman mutually agree to become husband and wife, and to comply one towards the other, the duties imposed by law. But the marriage has also religious definitions that vary according to each religion. According to the catholic church marriage is:"The matrimonial covenant, by which a man and a woman establish between themselves a partnership of the whole of life, is by its nature ordered toward the good of the spouses and the procreation and education of offspring; this covenant between baptized persons has been raised by Christ the Lord to the dignity of a sacrament." But for me, the marriage is the union of two people that love each other and decide to join their lives because they know that they are amazing as individuals but together they are even better.

For talk about the marriage, I want to share a beautiful story that for me represents the real meaning of marriage. This story was written by Laura Jeanne Allen and is entitled:” SHMILY: A Lovestory You Will Never Forget” This story is about the Laura’s grandparents, they were married for over half a century and they played their own special game from the time they had met each other. The goal of their game was to write the word “SHMILY” in a surprise place for the other to find. They took turns leaving “SHMILY” around the house and as soon as one of them discovered it, it was their turn to hide it once more. They dragged “SHMILY” with their fingers through the sugar and flour containers, to await whoever was preparing the next meal. The Laura’s grandparents wrote “SHMILY” in the steam left on the mirror after a hot shower, where it would reappear bath after bath. At one point, her grandmother even unrolled an entire roll of toilet paper, to leave “SHMILY” on the very last sheet. There was no end to the places in where ''SHMILY” was written. Her grandparents held hands every chance they could. They stole kisses, as they bumped into each other in their kitchen. They finished each other’s sentences and shared the daily crossword puzzle and word jumble. Before every meal they bowed their heads and gave thanks, marveling at their blessings: a wonderful family, good fortune and each other.

But in her grandparents’ lives  something very sad exist,  her grandmother had breast cancer. The disease had first appeared ten years earlier. As always, her Grandpa was with her every step of the way. He comforted her in their yellow room, painted that way so that she could always be surrounded by sunshine, even when she was too sick to go outside. The cancer was again attacking her body. With the help of a cane and her grandfather’s steady hand, they went to church every Sunday morning. But, her grandmother grew steadily weaker until; finally, she could not leave the house anymore. For a while, her Grandpa would go to church alone, praying to God to watch over his wife. Then one day, her Grandma die. “SHMILY", was scrawled in yellow on the pink ribbons of her grandmother’s funeral bouquet. Her Grandpa stepped up to her grandmother’s casket and he began to sing to her. Through his tears and grief, the song came (a deep and throaty lullaby).  Then of this last goodbye to her grandmother, Laura found the meaning of the mysterious word that was:  “S-h-m-i-l-y: See How Much I Love You…”

               This story presents a real and pure love. Simple things , like writing a word in a note,steal a kiss, hold the hands, represents the little details that always need a marriage for that the love grow. With the word "SHMILY" the grandparents continuously expressed their love for over fifty years. A lot of marriages are so rushed with the work, and the years pass and they don't express their love. Love in marriage must be preserved with little details. These small details make that the love; respect and admiration maintain throughout married life. The marriage is not only a piece of paper, is a promise to live together for the rest of the life, devoted to each other in sickness and in the good times, like the couple of the story. It is a promise to live together faithfully until death, through thick and thin. Marriage is a manifestation of God's blessing.