Book Preface & Excerpts

Part 2 – Marriage: “Come to Heal”

Chapter 6: And Finally

How much gold would replace Laura? What would soothe the sting of her loss? Despite my tepid rate of success, why would I put her and our nightly cribbage games at risk? What earthly pleasure or sum of money would compensate for the peace we have in our home? How we got there is another essay and perhaps something co-written, but at its essence, there is a complete submission to each other and a set of values that, at their heart, are Christian. There is no Rich first. There is no Laura first. There is no “me first.” There is only “we” and “we first.” This marital formula could not be simpler. All our cards are up on the table, all the time. We do not step around elephants in our living room. If something is working, we give thanks and celebrate. If something needs work, we solve it. We do not walk around with rocks in our shoes. For us, marriage—like love—is a verb. This is something we work and play at, every single day. Laura knows that I will never stomp out of the house, that I will never threaten to leave. I know the same of her. She knows that she can rely on me to work with her to sort the problem, right then and there—no matter how painful, no matter what. We stay there until it’s finished.