Friday, March 27, 2009

To marry

I can remember my dad talking about marrying two pieces of line together to make a single strong piece.

That double sheet bend that he used is one that I use now on the boat. I think that it's a beautiful knot. And in thinking about how I can marry these pieces of line, it made me think about how I have interwoven myself in this relationship with another.

It means that I have learned to trust another with my heart, that I have stuck around even when things were rough, that I have accepted even when faced with faults, that I have had compassion when everything seemed frayed.

Then there is the marriage that I have embarked upon in this fellowship. It's not all that different from the one with my partner. It's a vow that I've taken to be true to myself. It's one that I have made to be committed to my own well being, to not quit when things get tough, to understand my faults and weak areas, to take care and love myself no matter what others think, and to bind my life with the truth within me.

Like the ropes, I am interweaving my heart and my head, my faith and truth with my fears and failings, my spirit with my reality. And I vow to have and to hold...for better or worse...in sickness and in health...to love and to cherish, till death do us part. That's my vow to myself in this journey of recovery.

So just like the ropes are made twice as strong by their being married together, my life has been made so much stronger too by being committed to this path towards inner peace.

13 comments:

  1. this is absolutely beyond brilliant writing... makes me yearn for that trust that i'm so unwilling to share at times though. and judging from your writing, it's well worth it. ah well, i've still got time to learn.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Syd this is quite possibly the most beautiful thing I have read in months - how wonderfully serene.

    ReplyDelete
  3. This gives me a new perspective on my self and my recovery. I have always longed for someone to love me enough to marry me, and yet i never gave myself the same respect and love I expected from others, thanks Syd i will work on me some more through this wonderful day.

    ReplyDelete
  4. What a powerful message about commitment! Kudos to you, Syd. As is said in the meetings to most of us, "keep coming back." Therein lie the answers we hunger so much to learn about ourselves.

    Happy spring!
    Hugs, Anonymous #1

    ReplyDelete
  5. oh, I am in an ugly mood today...and well this is NOT an ugly post.

    SO I will bow my head, say thank you and move along...quickly.

    Have a good weekend!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Beautiful analogy, Syd.
    I like the idea of being equally as committed to recovery as to my marriage, even through the periods of struggle and little growth.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Syd, I cannot top what has been said, but I can say DITTO DITTO DITTO. Beautiful.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Thanks syd for that, its friday night and trying to catch up with a bit of blogging but that bit of prose stopped me in my tracks.
    Carefully woven together with a strong moral, you are a great speaker.
    I think u are right its where I work now which makes me feel less like writing, I enjoy it there though and they are good fun to work with with plenty of strange things happening.
    But its more harder for me to blog about it.
    Thinking back to what u wrote, I could really do with a good knot in my life.
    Still I might as well be married stuck all day with betty anyway

    ReplyDelete
  9. omg.you are such a pleasure to read,Syd.I LoVed this line..
    "It means that I have learned to trust another with my heart"

    Keep sharing and writing,keep blogging and living true to your journey my friend..be it on land..or sea ;)

    xo

    ReplyDelete
  10. Syd this is a very appropriate reading for me at this very moment. Thanks to you, and God!
    Steve E.

    ReplyDelete
  11. So that's what they meant when they said tie the know.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Amen! Amen! Amen!

    Beautiful, poetic, touches the heart. I loved this post.

    God bless you!

    PG

    ReplyDelete

Let me know what you think. I like reading what you have to say.