The Pre-Cana Experience

We had our pre-cana seminar at St. Peter the Apostle Parish yesterday. It had three parts. The 1st part was a middle-aged woman who lectured on the 10 Commandments and the 7 Sacraments. It was okay... a little redundant since we're pretty familiar with these already. The 2nd part was a couple who have been married for 28 years already. They talked of compatibility, the stages of a relationship, and the ups and downs of marriage. Their talk was pretty interesting, and I enjoyed seeing how they interacted with each other, the way they bantered and joked around. One of the things they advised was to think about the qualities your partner has that you love and list them down. Since there isn't a perfect marriage, there would be times when you need to read this list and remind yourself of these qualities. I thought it was a good idea, and I decided to list the things I love about Rogel...

1. He's really nice. I know nice seems such a boring description, but who wouldn't want someone nice to be her husband? He's the type of guy who doesn't mind driving his uncle, doing everyone's dishes, or running errands for his mom all the time.

2. He loves to cook for me, and he's a great cook! I wish I could cook like him.

3. He always offers me the last slice of cake.

4. He's really smart. Not merely bookish smart like me, but street smart as well.

5. He loves to sing to me.

6. He has spontaneous moments when he'd suddenly take me in his arms and dance with me.

7. He's very sweet and affectionate.

8. I know he's someone I can trust.

Hmm, I think that's enough for now. Anyway, the 3rd and last part was an old man who had been married for 52 years. He's quite old-fashioned, with rather ancient beliefs. I was a little irritated when he kept mentioning how wives should always maintain their figure 'coz men have roving eyes, and always like looking at attractive things. I wanted to retort that men should very well maintain their figure as well! (Though I didn't, 'coz he was already talking so slow, and I didn't want to prolong the talk any longer) And he even confided that he once cheated on his wife. She almost left him, but he asked forgiveness and promised not to do it again, and their relationship survived.

I truly hope that our marriage would stand all odds... and yet I also believe that there are some things that might not withstand a marriage. Infidelity, for one, is something I'm not sure would ever be forgivable in my eyes...

Rogel and I trust in our love for each other though. I hope and pray that we can stand whatever life brings us.