The Global Marriage

Jocelyn Broderick

Is this all doom and gloom?

The last few weeks have been crazy – well, crazier than usual. I have been rushing to get things done at a frenzied pace; making sure family are looked after; bringing in enough to get through the end of the month; as this ever-growing shadow darkens in the sky above and around us. We have been practicing social distancing and keeping home as much as possible for weeks now. My eldest son arrived from America two weeks ago for a week’s visit to see friends and family. He can’t visit and see friends.

He couldn’t even get back to America, as our government grounded SAA with immediate effect. He has had to stay home and not be out in the world. And here’s the thing – it is in order to keep others safe. Here’s the bigger picture looming – all of this is to make sure we keep other safe. It’s not all about just us. And then the shadow lifts, when we start to consider others. Life and living are suddenly a first priority. Why do we have to face a crisis of this magnitude in order to remember this?

For better, for worse; for richer, for poorer; in sickness and in health.

That shadow could very well become the reason that we start to prioritise the things that really matter. And that’s the thing. It’s not things that matter. Things are transitory. We can’t take them with us. What really matters is people and relationships. Not one of us is experiencing COVID-19 alone. We are in this together, for better for worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health. This pandemic is ironically not only the disease that will take people away from us. It is a global marriage – the glue that will ultimately stick us all together. To put each other first!

If I think of a marriage, people always say it’s the little things that become the big issues. We all know the irritation about that lid not being on the toothpaste and – my big one – keeping the kitchen clean (and that includes the surfaces!). But when we come down to it, does any of that really matter? We need to look each other in the face and face the certain knowledge that most of us will get this disease, and many of us will die from it. No-one gets the free pass to avoid it. We are all in this together. It’s how we do this together that matters. It’s the choices we make to make this marriage work. For better or for worse. For richer, for poorer, and in sickness and in health. I’m committed to making this marriage work. Are you?