Of Life and Times

I have been thinking about the upcoming marriage between our third daughter and her beau. I was reviewing my experience while at the altar and I remembered that word "mantle." There is a Christmas song that refers to a mantle of white, referring to a heavy blanket of snow that covers the ground. Mantles are garments meant to keep you warm and dry, but we don't normally use the term any more, except in connection with callings in the Church. The connection here is that I got married (the first time) in December, so the "mantle of white" fit in just perfectly. I can remember the feeling I had when the final words were spoken sealing us together as a couple. I was very surprised to feel an actual weight placed on both my shoulders, like someone's large warm hands were now resting on me. A realization of my responsibilities to my wife and future family began to form a picture in my mind. It was almost overwhelming at the time.

I don't believe I have ever lost that feeling, though I have grown to be accustomed to having it there. If the weight were completely removed I dare say I would feel quite lost and out of place. That awareness that follows me day and night helps to ground me, and gives me a place in the world. Even if I don't feel like I have any physical place in the world, i.e. no noticeable social presence, I still feel my connection and responsibilities to my wife and children. Sometimes it is a lonely feeling, and sometimes it is a comfort.

I wonder if others have some kind of experience like that at the moment of marriage or shortly thereafter, or am I just unique? Don't answer that, I already know I am different from the rest of humanity. LOL

FYI
Mantle - Something that covers, envelops or conceals, as in a loose sleeveless cloak or cape or a mantle of darkness. In the Church it refers to the full range of responsibilities and blessings that go with callings, such as the mantle of the Bishop.