Good Morning!

Well HELLOOOOOO Blog World!

Let's just say the last two days have been rough. Was on the verge of tears out of sheer frustration. Was a zombie by 8PM last night. The last thing I remember is rolling myself under the covers at 8:47PM and the next thing I knew, 2:50AM was flashing on my clock. And I've been awake ever since. Lovely. Really, really lovely.

At first I was trying to fall back asleep. Went to the bathroom (everyone sleeps better with an empty bladder, right? right?), turned on my fan (temperature is important too), and did some Sudoku and... nothing. Still up. So instead I am making the most of this early morning energy burst. Or, at the very least, trying. Sorting some small boxes and throwing out a lot of junk. Taking labels off of plastic bottles for recycling. Really fun stuff. Okay, maybe not so much. But it did need to be done... Also, I have a work party Saturday. I'm hoping that I can make ahead. Instead I just saw this picture of cheddar mashed potatoes and, I don't care if it is 5:30AM, I want some!



Okay, okay... Early morning scatterbrain aside, I've been thinking about love. Or our culture's current definition of love. And marriage. My friend, who is of the "divorce is not an option" mindset, is "religious" (but when you actually ask, she describes herself as "spiritual") and her husband is not. Her MO: "as long as he respects it, its fine." She says he goes to Church with her, and that is good enough for her. Personally, I've never gone to Church with her family when he was in attendance. He does not come from a Christian family and while she says he respects her beliefs, his father does not. I was visiting her for her birthday, as were her parents-in-law. I don't remember what was said exactly, but I do remember her father-in-law commenting on the fact that we were going to Church. I can only imagine that this would lead to tensions eventually. Either between father and son or husband and wife.

Even so, does this sort of marriage sell faith short? I can't imagine not being spiritually stunted in a relationship like this. Or feeling emotionally boxed in. Could a person truly feel fulfilled in this relationship. Could I? I know, everyone is different. My friend calls herself "religious" but describes herself as "spiritual." That sentence itself puts us on two different pages. In my life, I feel like if I was married to someone who was not religious, I would be treading water. Spinning in circles. With the possibility of growth stunted by our theological differences. Not that I'm saying there is no potential for growth, but that the potential would not be as great as it would be for two religious partners. Does this mean my friend is doomed to a mediocre marriage? And if that is the case, what is worse? Divorce itself... or the mediocre marriage?

If you are a Christian (I am) and believe that Christianity is the truth (I do), how could you resign yourself to a mediocre marriage? After all, our marriages are supposed to be a reflection of the relationship between Christ and the Church. More importantly, in my case, how do you attempt to help your friends understand this thought process? Or any thought process that involves lifestyle choices made based on a religious belief. At this point, most of my friends are married. Even most of the single ones are attached in various degrees of relationships. I'm still single. And EVERYONE has an opinion. How do you break it to your less religious friends that you've found someone who is more conservative? For instance, unequally yoked homegirl mentioned above thinks she is planning my wedding. Nice? I love her, but all of her family functions involve alcohol. I saw the woman consume alcohol, albeit small amounts, when preggo. Babe is fine - no worries there, I'm just attempting to show the prevalence of alcohol consumption, moderate to heavy depending on circumstances, in her life. She insists she is planning my wedding, but I am beginning to feel that if I asked her to plan a dry wedding she might whip me. Thoughts? Anyone, anyone? How do you tell a friend you've grown up with, that you've grown in different directions - with different values? Well aside from talk to all of your other, more understanding friends first so you can at least have backup. Because that is totally Plan A. Just saying...