NPR & Marriage

I will admit it - I enjoy listening to NPR. Half of the enjoyment may come because I get to listen to it when I'm alone, driving our little red saturn, and doing something without children. :) But, the other half of my enjoyment comes from all the stuff that I learn, discover, ponder over, disagree with (about half of it!!!), and laugh out loud at. NPR really puts out some amusing stories; things like what the most popular app ever has been......."Angry Birds".........and reporting on world stories, like the nuclear reactor in Japan.

So, I heard something so interesting the other day, I just have to write about it. It wasn't actually the story that was interesting - I believe they were interviewing the two writers of a T.V. show called "Sister Wives". I haven't seen it, but I believe it's about a bunch of sisters who are all wives together - call me crazy - and how they all get along/don't get along.

The host of the program commented something like, "I can't believe that in the end of the season, the characters worked through all the disfunction in their families. I thought for sure that one of them would leave their family." One of writers responded by saying, "A lot of people have told us that. And it's interesting, but we never considered that as happening." Then the other writer added, "Yes, we are strong proponents of the institution of marriage. We have been married for 28 years, and we just see so much good in commitment, support, and caring for one another and for a family. We believe that sticking it  out can be hard, but that it's better than divorce or separation in the long run."

"I agree," I thought.

And then I realized that both of the guest writers were men. They were a gay couple, that had been married for 28 years. And they were not just talking about, but actively supporting the institution of marriage (and I think they meant in general, not just gay marriage) on national television. Wow, that stunned me. It made me immediately think of the church, in which there is almost a 50% divorce rate, just like in the secular world. It made me thankful that even someone with whom I disagree on many issues, is willing to stand-up for marriage and the ideals of commitment and love and self sacrifice.

It's funny what you learn on the radio - and who can become an ally through just a few spoken words.