Oh, who would have ever known it
Could be this easy?
I was a long, long way off.
Then just like that it was over,
Everything I knew of love…
I was a long, long way off.

Thank you for opening the window.
The sky is clear as my mind is now,
I was a long, long way off.

Join me in welcoming the sun in,
It’s much brighter than the night I hid in,
I was a long, long way off.

 And I think I like
how the day sounds,
Through this new song.  

And I think I like how the day sounds,
Like how the day sounds,
Through this new Song.
From a long way down…

Yeah, it’s well worth the time
That it’s taken to get here now,
Yeah, it’s well worth the time
That it’s taken to get here now.

So go ahead and bang that gong,
Nothing can drown out the sound
And the whisper of my love.

\

And the lines have been drawn,
I know where I belong,
Where I belong.

And I think I like
How the day sounds,
LOVE how the day sounds,
Through this new song.

do you remember how your day sounds?

when you and your love began to sing a new song?

take a whitespace moment.

right now.

listen to the song that inspired today’s remembrance (below)

when intimacy was gentle as the sunlight moving across a clear blue sky,

so warm you could feel it in the hand of your beloved

as it clasped yours.

when intimacy wasn’t far, but very close,

like sharing popsicles on a hot summer day with your best friend,

laughter easy as it melted down your fingers.

Marriage is about being healed and saved together.

this is what my friend  ayakalu said  —
when she shared her #spiritualwhitespace #yestorest date nite on instagram this week.

As Eric and I celebrated our 11th year anniversary this month on the 6th,
I asked my friend Merrianne — who I wrote about in the Finding Spiritual Whitespace,
in the chapter titled “The Phone Call” — for a favor.  a big one.

What did she think about having Josh and Caleb over for a weekend?
she said yes.
So we packed our bags, like we once did for our honeymoon,
and took a long drive to Carmel, California.

And as we made space to remember how the day sounds…
And as we made room to just be — and not do —

we welcomed the sun in,

unveiling the stories that continue to be written,

that the rush of everyday life can defer.

we remembered how easy it is,

to sing a new song.

today.

Couples need whitespace too.

My all-time favorite marriage book, given to me when I was a newlywed, by
a faith-fragranced woman who mentored me as a thirty-something named Sally
is  Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work by Dr. John Gottman.
Gottman followed 700 couples for 16 years to research and identify which seven factors
kept marriages together — that were missing from the marriages that ended in divorce.

Dr. Gottman found “the determining factor in whether wives feel satisfied
with the sex, romance, and passion in their marriage is, by 70 percent,
the quality of the couple’s friendship.

For men, the determining factor is, by 70 percent,
the quality of the couple’s friendship.

So men and women come from the same planet after all.

Nurturing the soul of a marriage involves nurturing an intimate friendship.
This intimacy needs time to rest as a couple.

Whitespace for couples.

Make Room for your souls to breathe.
together.

Time to connect deeply.

to enjoy quiet.

hold hands.

to laugh.  to eat.

Take a moment now.

Call your friend.  
Call the high school/college pastor in your church
for students who love kids and change in their pockets. 
(our date nite secret. pastor knows their families
and i get to make friends with teens/twentysomethings too)
Find your babysitter.

Make your way to putting
a date nite on your calendar.

Watch and listen to the lyrics in today’s post sung
by Greg Laswell (How the Day Sounds, 2013 Remake)

Listen and remember your story.

together again.

Then, do whatever you can.
As soon as you can.

Getaway for some #spiritualwhitespace for you and your beloved.

Find Spiritual Whitespace together.
Confide in your stories and ask about his.
listen. hold him with your gaze.
the comfort of your complete acceptance and understanding.
love him with your quiet.  don’t fix. be present.
let him love you.

… a few hours at a cafe
… a lunch date somewhere cozy
… a night out for thai
… pancakes and waffles at a breakfast joint
… a drive to the city
… a walk …

remember the sound of the day.

the sound of a your new song.

“He has given me a new song to sing…” Ps. 40:3

~~~

pull up a chair. click to share a comment.
this is a place for the soul. for you and me.

lyrics by Greg Laswell (How the Day Sounds, 2013 Remake)