Synchronicity

I can't help wondering, just a little, how I might have felt about it on another night.  But last night it was especially sweet.

When I suggested to my friend that her husband would view it as a privilege to take some time to care for her, to massage away some of her pain, I had just the slightest moment of wondering: would he really?  Do we husbands really care so tenderly for our wives?  Don't we sometimes get caught up in what we have going on, instead?  How, in fact, would I really feel if my bride had a similar need that very night?

And then, without the slightest suggestion beforehand, she did.  As I walked into the bedroom to begin my night's sleep, my wife mentioned how very sore her upper back was.  I smiled to myself, glad that I wasn't approaching the bed full of my own exhaustion, so there was no trace of hesitation or disappointment.  I was just glad to be able to care for my wife in this tender way, hands working her muscles firmly, patiently seeking those telltale tight knots, gently working them and feeling them release under my ministrations.  At the same time, I found myself thinking of and praying for my friends 600 miles away, hoping they'd had or were having a similar experience of marital ministry, of giving and receiving, of selfless touch and care.

It was so nice to be able to feel simultaneously connected with bride and dear friends in this loving way. And I hope the same sort of practical love - that expression of pain and loving response - happened at their home, too.  If not, at the very least they helped me to respond to my dear one as I should have rather than as I might have had my awareness not been primed.