THE VARATHAIAHS

MOSES and Beverley Varathaiah have been married for 35 years and live in Newlands West.

They met in 1980 at church, fell in love and married in 1984.

The Varathaiahs both agreed there is no perfect marriage and no manual to follow for a perfect marriage. Beverley said their marriage had faced a lot of challenges; the biggest being her colon cancer diagnosis five years ago. She had surgery, underwent chemotherapy and was in a wheelchair.

She said putting God first and fearing Him was one of the contributing factors to their successful marriage.

“Yes we have had challenges, but we always work through them together because marriage is not only a covenant with God, but it’s also a partnership. Having come back from that, I feel like God has given me a second chance in life,” Beverley said.

Moses shared the sentiment of marriage being a partnership. He said challenges were inevitable, but what was important was how a couple dealt with them. He said maturity went a long way in a marriage.

Moses was not alone in supporting his wife; he said his son, Caleb, daughter Candice and their dog, Milo, were instrumental in Beverley winning the fight against cancer.

“Someone close to our family offered us Milo, and he was very therapeutic to my wife. He just gave her the will and courage to live. They have such a special bond, it’s indescribable. You have to see it to understand it,” Moses said.

Beverley had been five years in remission until the first week of February when her oncologist told her that she no longer had traces of cancer cells.

Moses said the most important qualities to ensure a successful marriage were honesty, integrity, respect and transparency. He said those, coupled with reliability, could go a long way.

“We’re co-dependent on each other. Some of my weaknesses are her strengths and some of her weaknesses are my strengths. Even if I’m having a tough day at work and I need to get some work done, she’s always there to help me; the same goes for her. We always look out for each other,” said Moses.

Moses and Beverley are both in the teaching profession: Moses is a deputy principal at a primary school and Beverley is a primary school teacher. She said since they both worked in the same field, they were also able to assist each other in workrelated challenges.

They both agreed it was comforting to have someone you knew would always be by your side, through the good and the bad times.

Some of my weaknesses are her strengths and some of her weaknesses are my strengths Moses Varathaiah