spiritual blanket

go to the craft store
choose a few skeens of yarn
have your partner do the same

put the skeens side by side
do the colors complement each other?
how about the texture?
the fibers?
the feel?

adjust as necessary until it feels right

now, spend the better part of each day for a year knitting this carefully selected yarn into a nice, warm afghan

use it for 50 years...18,250 days...438,000 hours...26,280,000 minutes

Over the course of 50 years, there will be births, deaths, taxes, high points, low points, comedy, tragedy, love and hate.

Over the course of 50 years, that afghan will have warded off the freezing cold of a thousand winter nights, been tossed aside during summer heatwaves, covered sleeping grandchildren, and gotten spilled upon, ripped, poked, and rubbed thin.

Over the course of 50 years, it will have been washed thousands of times, had hundreds of holes repaired and be frayed, worn and well-loved.

Careful handling and timely repairs ensure a good, long life for the afghan. Once so lovingly crafted, it would, after 50 years, show the signs of a dutiful existence.

Such is a relationship. At the beginning, you bare your souls to each other in the hopes that you've found a good match. You reveal to each other your hopes, dreams, fears and burning desires. If you're lucky, you find that the person you are with has what it takes to be your lifetime partner.

Then begins the creation of a spiritual bond of love and warmth that brings the two of you together. Through time, the strength of that spiritual bond is tested. Much attention and love must be given to that bond. And, when rips and holes are made, they must be quickly repaired.

Just like the afghan needs to be repaired so that it can survive the years, so must our spiritual bond be repaired.