Remembering What Drew You Together

Teaching lesson

They began looking through old photographs.

One picture reminded them of a conversation that lasted for hours. Another brought back the laughter of an early outing and the excitement of learning each other's story.

For a moment, they remembered more than what they had done.

They remembered what they had seen in each other.

Song of Solomon preserves the warmth and delight of two people who speak to one another with affection. Their words reflect attraction, invitation, and enjoyment.

Marriage changes with time.

Responsibilities grow, bodies change, and personalities mature.

Remembering what drew you together is not an attempt to live in the past.

It is a way of recovering gratitude for the person whose story became joined with yours.

Perhaps you admired your spouse's faith, confidence, gentleness, humour, courage, generosity, or sense of purpose. Maybe you felt safe in their presence or enjoyed the way they saw the world.

Some of those qualities may still be present but hidden beneath tiredness and familiarity.

Others may have matured into something deeper.

Do not compare today's spouse with an idealised memory that forgets the imperfections of the early years. Nostalgia can become unfair when it suggests that growth and change have made the present person less worthy of love.

Remember with honesty and gratitude.

Then look again at who your spouse has become.

What new quality do you admire now? What strength emerged through difficulty? What part of their character has become more beautiful with time?

Your beginning matters, but admiration does not have to remain there.

Let memory reopen your eyes, and let present gratitude give you new reasons to draw close.