A love affair
Yesterday I attended the funeral of a man and was very moved by
the way his grandchildren spoke so affectionately about him. They described the
relationship their grandfather had with their grandmother as a love affair.
They had been married 52 years and had ceremonies to renew their vows
twice during that time and had planned to have me officiate for another renewal
of their vows on their next anniversary. They described their grandparents
dancing closely late into the night in a cabin on holiday in Tasmania and
sleeping in the same bed, snuggled up, no matter where they were or how small
the bed was whether on the Indian Pacific Train or in a bunk bed on an ocean
liner. He never wanted to be separate from her even for a night. They described
him as a man who lived with passion and instilled in them a passion and
adventure for life. He was passionate in his love for his partner and wife,
passionate as an artist, passionate about sport, passionate about his friends,
passionate about his family. And yet this was a working man, he worked with his
hands all his life.
As I listened I thought what an example this man is to his
grandchildren, but specifically to his grandsons. What a role model he is to
younger men and to all men in society. I marvelled at the way he demonstrated
such passionate love and respect for his partner of 52 years. I thought how
good is this for men to see this modelled to them and how even better it is for
women to be loved so totally as this man loved.
It was a challenge to me. How many of us men view our partners as someone
we are having a love affair with? And if we did how would that improve our
relationships and the lives of our partners?
