Nurturing our Marriage

Bryan and I were given a great gift on Friday. Our friend Becca offered to keep the kids for the whole day so we could enjoy a leisurely all-day, no curfew date! She stayed the night so we could stay out as late as we wanted to. Wowee.

We fled for the mountains with our rain gear and hiking boots. The rain was pelting the windwhield as we drove, but we were happy and feeling alive and determined not to let the rain affect our day together.

We spent most of the day traipsing around Lynn Canyon and LightHouse Park in North Vancouver. We bush-whacked along the coast, scrambled on seaweed-slicked rocks and watched three majestic eagles soar on the breeze just above us. A small fleet of ships had set anchor in the water between LightHouse and Stanley park and we wondered aloud where they were from, what freight they were carrying.

We rested on the shore for a long time, leisurely picking up strings of conversation from long ago, easing into a restfulness together where we could really SEE eachother, and hear eachother's hearts.

The darkness began to settle around us. We stood slowly and stretched. We circled around and over the rockface a different way than we had arrived and loaded our gear and rain jackets in the truck.

The drive along Marine Drive was breathtaking. Dramatic evening light arched behind the distant lighthouse and surrounded the sillouettes of Madrone trees along the shore.

Since we were chilled and dampened from the rain, we decided to browse in a local bookstore and settle in with hot drinks. We ran into an old friend, talked about the books we had lingered with, returned into the night refreshed.

Much of our drive home was in silence. The rumble of road and soft patter of rain on the windshield was restful and sealed the feeling of solidarity and deep knowing between us.

We were reminded how important it is to spend time together nurturing our marriage in beautiful, natural settings. We are blessed to have family nearby who love our children and enjoy taking care of them so we can have dates together. But we usually go to a concert, or out to eat, or to a party with friends. And though these events are fun and encourage and inspire us in different ways, there is nothing like a day in nature together.