I recently had the privilege of officiating the marriage of a friend of mine in NY State. One does not have to be ordained to officiate a wedding ceremony in NY State. There were a few moments in the ceremony that stand out for me.
The first was when the weather broke, and a last minute decision was made (while guests were already being seated in the alternate location), to shuttle all guests to the top of Hunter Mountain via a ski chair lift! The second was during the actual ceremony. I asked my friends to take a few minutes to soak in their moment, to look at the guests who were there to support them, as well as the natural beauty that surrounded them. But, more importantly, I asked them to embed in their minds the eyes through which they looked at one another.
Imagine what marriages would look like, if we viewed our spouse through the same eyes we did on our wedding day. Do you remember how you felt that day? Do you remember when you believed that your spouse had your best interests at hand, and just wanted to be close to you? Do you remember how easy it was to take emotional and physical risks with each other? Imagine if, after 20 years of marriage, you saw your spouse through the same eyes you once did. If we did, I think it would be a lot easier to let our armour and protectiveness down, and start to engage the person that loves you most!