I have noticed that my marriage is often akin to parallel tracks which represent me and my wife travelling forward in the same direction.

These tracks are secured by the sleepers and feel safe and sure for most of the time.

Occasionally, a weakness occurs and the workmen come and replace a bit of the track or a worn away sleeper and I imagine that to be in the context of my marriage the friends and family members who at various times step in to support and encourage us at moments of difficulty.

The main focus, has been of course, for us to keep the trains running,

By this I mean investing all of our efforts into our children as they have developed and grown into young adults who now run alongside of us on their own tracks, some of which are curving away in their own direction.

This feels a bit scary at times to me, but I am assured by the workmen that the tracks do converge now and again at various points up the line – so not to worry!, because regardless of this divergence,  the tracks are in an unbreakable network.

So, my marriage is on tracks which seem to have a unity of purpose and direction.

So, why do I sometimes crave for more intimacy, more intensity, especially after our tracks are put under strain by the trains that run across us?

I have noticed that our tracks tend to criss-cross as we enter and leave the stations on our route.

Criss -cross represents for me and my wife deep intimacy, love and unity in those moments of closeness so that we are able to continue to support each other and the trains that ride along us for the journey ahead.

Until, that is, we arrive at the sidings together, side by side for eternity, for our eternal rest.

My next blog will be:     Living Art

William Defoe