Love & Marriage

I'll close this journal entry with the statement of my love. I love you to the farthest stretches of the universe, and to the depths of the sea, as far as eye can see, ear can hear and spaceship can travel.

As we watched Masterpiece Theater last night, I was thinking of the great number of couples I worked with in my years as a priest. Always I started with four to six hours of listening and probing just to get to the root of the problem. This, of course, was when both parties cooperated and really were looking for a solution.

As we talked about love and marriage last night, I thought of many aspects of love that I hold essential. I think the basic test of love is service in small details of daily life. These services have to be consistent, gladly performed and personally directed. When these services stop or are grudgingly given — then love is on wobbly legs.

I hope the depressed feeling will have lifted today. I've learned from experience there is not much I can do to help you except to listen. I used to get upset when you would question my love but I find this is just to insure that I express it. As I have told you so often, I feel that actions are far more powerful expressions of love than words. I feel I perform many little services for you each day. I never do these as a duty or begrudgingly. I do them because I love you. The day I would stop loving you, that day I would stop doing them.

What I would miss if you were not around would make a long list. The thing I have noticed the most when you were gone overnight is the chance to sit down and converse with you about the day, new ideas, opinions of other people, current events and memories. I think this has always been true. Conversation with you has always been stimulating, challenging and positive.

I love you, Sweetie. I love you totally and only. I don't share my love for you with anyone. It is and always will be one and only.

Thank you for the Father's Day card and all the nice things it says. I don't react strongly when I look at the cards but I am deeply appreciative. I can say it better with a pen.

By the way, you can discard the score from last night's Scrabble game. I put a special section on my disk upstairs and recorded my win already. I'll keep track of your losses at the same time.

I love you, Sweetie! I am not gloating over my abilities at Scrabble. I thought your attempt to manhandle me afterwards was a low way to get even. My warm, tender, affectionate love is all yours. Ex imo corde, Phil

As for response to your feelings last night. I gave none because I could not see how my being disturbed would help you. I figure if I let the strong feelings churn my innards, then I am letting my enemies control me as they did before. So I am to a stage where I can wipe them out.

I'm glad you had a nice trip to Breda yesterday and a pleasant visit. Your Mom will probably always wonder if there was some way she could have cared for your Dad at home but there isn't. As an outsider, I commend the wisdom and the courage shown in following the conviction to get the help of the Nursing Home.

I love you, Sweetie. We'll get everything to work out to the good. I say this not because of a Providence or some such. I say it because we have faced bigger obstacles before and surmounted them.

I love you, Sweetie! I am a person in turmoil but I express it differently. My love is all yours. I don't see the future as bleak but challenging. When you run ahead of the pack, the territory is often empty but the pack is nipping at your heels. We'll run together — toward our ideals as they unfold.

You ask why I love you. You are the only total confidante I have ever had. I feel totally at ease with you. That's for starters.