Shannon Costello

“Marriage is common but not trivial.”

I would be really impressed with myself if that quote was from the sermon at my wedding and I had remembered it for all this time—but no. That line is from a wedding I attended about a week ago carefully disguised as a musician.

I had one of the best seats in the entire church—right up on stage where I could see exactly what was going on. I bet I also had one of the best attention spans, too. It is next to impossible to concentrate on a sermon when one is dressed up in the fanciest dress one has ever had and about to get married. I say that from the bride’s perspective, but I can tell you that the groom in the wedding I observed wasn’t in any better condition. This is why they tape weddings, so one knows what actually happened.

I was talking to someone recently whose sister has just started dating someone. The latest report is that the guy told the girl, “I think I’m falling in love with you.” My romantic side melted…

But the real work of art isn’t the courting or the wedding. The real work of art is the marriage itself—this very common but not trivial bond between two people who have committed their lives to each other forever. It’s hard to describe the difference. The closest I can get right now is comparing, say, Mount Beacon in New York to the Grand Tetons. I spent most of my life living near Mount Beacon, and I think the Hudson River Valley is the prettiest place I have ever lived in. But I cried the first time I saw the mountains around Yellowstone last summer. The power of the Creator was just overwhelming. My ears had heard of Him, but then I thought I actually glimpsed Him.