Because commitment is sexier than anything else

We dance.

And even with my eyes closed I know the steps by heart.

One two three. One two three.

You wrestle them through tooth brushes and Sponge Bob toothpaste. I tuck gangly legs and chubby thighs into Spiderman pajama bottoms and Cars pajama tops and tuck them up and over and into beds they’ve slept in since they were born. You rock your whisp of pink daughter in the nightly walk around the couch, the kitchen, the couch again. I take her and nurse her and roll her gently into bed.

We two step in the kitchen, over the laundry, past the rows of photos framing the beat, the rhyme, the rhythm to this last decade and a half. In sync. Swaying with the tired and the weekend and the preparation for Monday.

And I love you. I love this melody we make together in this small house that Jackson wishes had stairs. Music lives in this space. And you can sing me anything. I choose your song over Southern harmonies, frequent flier miles, and LadySmith Black Mambazo every day, every year that ticks by. And there’s an orchestra that plays in the living room between the two couches that cost us so much more than money and the toy tiger that sprawls at their feet.

We dance.

My hand in yours even on the nights when I beat your chest and ask all the “Whys?” that have no answer and lie in the dark and listen to us both breathing as we have since our first dance accompanied by wedding rings. And we sleep the ordinary peace of the extraordinary choice – till death do us part. Tomorrow when the sun comes up we will slip back into our steps with your hand at my back, leading, guiding me through the daily ritual of becoming one.

There is only one dance.

Jeremiah 3:31-3-5

“I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness. I will build you up again and you will be rebuilt, O Virgin Israel. Again you will take up your tambourines and go out to dance with the joyful.”

And you are my only and forever partner as He leads us in it.

{Photo: Wedding day first dance; 1999; edited from the archives as I adjust to jet lag and being Stateside again.}

18 Comments

Heatherly Lane Sylvia on July 27, 2011 at 12:51 am

Lovely and true. Thank you.

Bekka on July 27, 2011 at 12:51 am

You words evoke such beautiful images and bring tears to my eyes. Thank you.

Elise Adams on July 27, 2011 at 1:30 am

Beautiful and so very true–every word touched my heart!

Shanyn on July 27, 2011 at 1:54 am

Wonderful post, and I do love that dance we have with our best friends…but do tell my sister dear – how do you get them to wear mismatched jammies? :-) and I LOVE LadySmith Black Mambazo!

Diana Trautwein on July 27, 2011 at 2:29 am

Thanks for the west coast tweet – so much faster than waiting for the email drop. I’m heading to bed very soon – in my small cell-like room at a Catholic retreat center where I’m living in community for two weeks, in training to become a spiritual director. So.Much.Richness in this experience. BUT – I am so missing my dancing partner these nights (and days, too, as we’re both now retired). Thank you for painting such a lovely picture with your words. And thanks for the head’s up alert on this new-to-me Twitter stuff…

Lucy The Valiant on July 27, 2011 at 6:47 am

SO beautiful and true!

Cheryl Smith on July 27, 2011 at 6:50 am

You had me at the title. :)

Katy on July 27, 2011 at 7:16 am

I loved this the first time and I love it still! Thank you for the reminder that commitment makes such a world of a difference. Such an important character trait to look for in the midst =)

Amy Hunt on July 27, 2011 at 9:16 am

What beautiful imagery that indeed brings tears to my eyes, also. My heart smiles big as I lift up thoughts of gratitude for the *dance* my groom and I live each day, together.

Rich blessings, Lisa-Jo, as you continue to learn more about your Father through your groom…

Amanda @Wandering on July 27, 2011 at 9:51 am

The scenes/moments you describe are beautiful and real. What a gift you have been given!

Amanda on July 27, 2011 at 10:17 am

Ahh… extraordinary beauty in the ordinary. It’s amazing what God can make out of dust. Lord, give me eyes to see the beauty in our dance, even when it feels more like stumbling around.

Marsha @ Splenderosa on July 27, 2011 at 11:06 am

Sweet and beautiful !!!

Jessie on July 27, 2011 at 11:59 am

So sweet.

Monika on July 27, 2011 at 12:21 pm

How beautiful! I love dancing, anyway, and to equate being a couple and marriage as a whole to that dance….is just wonderful. BTW, your wedding photo is just gorgeous. Thank you for this post. :-)