Getting married in the season of glowworms
Afew days back, my husband was searching for what he said was an important document in a file. Suddenly, a smile flashed across his face as he found a piece of paper and handed it to me.
It was a matrimonial response-letter, written in a beautiful hand and in impeccable English, by my late father. Those were the simple times when computers, emails or WhatsApp etc had not yet overwhelmed us.
I read the letter over and over again! After 39 years and when even my father was no more, I was overjoyed to come across this priceless gift with so much sentimental worth added to it.
I applauded the way my husband had preserved this document. “Marriages are made in heaven but celebrated on earth” is an oft quoted saying but it was the newspaper that was instrumental in making my matrimonial alliance a reality.
It was the season of glowworms when we got married. Upon going for an evening walk during those days, one encountered swarms of glowworms thronging the thick growth of elephant grass by the roadside. They looked like countless twinkling stars at dusk. Although the elephant grass is missing now but that ethereal, picturesque setting is clearly etched in my memory.
Thus started our boat ride together on the sometimes complacent and at other times turbulent waters in the sea of life. And how this event denotes a new beginning! The lessons that one learns while navigating the twists and turns of this trail are an invaluable asset. They help a person evolve into a genial, competent diplomat of sorts.
Even otherwise, my father used to say that if a misunderstanding or a differences crop up between a couple, one can wipe the slate clean and start writing afresh. Occasionally, they can agree to disagree, to give space and respect each other’s distinctiveness.
As the years go by, quite often this magical institution called marriage turns two strangers into friends for life and near duplicates of each other! They start thinking alike; their likes and dislikes become the same; both know each other’s mind without being told; they are available for each other in their hour of need; they find each-other’s presence comforting; they listen to one another with rapt attention; learn from each other and this whole affair augments their dispositions. Just when this subtle but certain change took over and they started complementing each other remains a mystery.
I have often heard my elder brother observe, “Marriage is a plant, you have to water 24 hours a day; sounds tough but it is worth all the effort.”
Everyone values burgeoning plants. They bring delight to the ones who nurture them and others who see them, thus spreading joy all around. And the winsome glowworms too crowd such prosperous greenery, making life all aglow!
INSTITUTION CALLED MARRIAGE TURNS TWO STRANGERS INTO FRIENDS FOR LIFE AND NEAR DUPLICATES OF EACH OTHER