Home Making and car maintenance

Last week I read Jonny's post on the book Home Making which was followed with a post titled The Wedded Life containing many quotes from the book. I noted that it included some thoughts for those considering whether or not to get married.

As a result of reading Jonny's posts I was reminded that I posess a copy of Home Making. I decided to take it with me when I visited Dave, as I wanted to see what he thought of it.

I decided to read it to him while he changed the oil in his car, which seemed apt considering one of Jonny's pearls of advice which was backed up by a quote from Home Making:

For those wives that have no interest in motorsport, or never come to the back shed when asked: "No marriage is complete which does not unite and blend the wedded lives at every point. This can be secured only by making every interest common to both. Let both hearts throb with the same joy and share each pang of sorrow."

It was a very funny experience, reading a book filled with flowery language while my boyfriend worked under his car. He periodically assured me that he was listening, as he walked back and forth to collect things he needed.

Dave lives in a flat at the house of our mutual friends the Downes family. The comedy of our evening was added too when the husband and two sons of this family arrived outside the flat bearing a couch. They were on the way to the shed, but paused for a few moments to place the couch down under a tree and listen to Home Making.

You probably had to be there to find this funny, but I still had to share the way blogging remined me of a book and then made my life much funnier last week!

It turned out that Home Making does not contain much that is directly addressed to those considering marriage. The central advice was to give it serious thought before committing to marriage. The author also advised that those who were not ready to die to self were not ready to marry.

I do recommend the book, and I hope to post more about it in future. It reinforces the fact that love is expressed in many actions, seemingly small, needs to be worked at in all relationships in the home.