Reflections On Sex, Vulnerability, and Spirituality After Five Years of Marriage

The lead-up to our wedding felt appropriately chaotic.

Two days before we were slated to tie the knot, a “once-in-a-century” storm blew in and flooded the quaint forest wedding venue we had chosen to get married at before we were even engaged.

The rain fell in thick torrents all day, submerging streets and burying front yards under rippling sheets of swift water. We peered through streaked windows and waited for it — prayed for it — to relent. The throbbing thunder and sporadic tornado warnings an answer in their own right.

The next day, Shannon and I set out on a morose expedition to inspect the damage wrought by the storm on our venue, knowing the clock was ticking, a make-it-or-break-it decision imminent. In our vehicle, we forded our way slowly around shallow rivers where the day previous had been blacktop roads.

Our car left muddy ruts in the windy unpaved road that spun up to our venue, and by the time we pulled into the soggy parking lot, we knew it was a lost cause. Our bespoke naturalistic wedding vision had been reclaimed by nature.

For a moment, we stood in despair and frustration. But then put all of that behind us and pivoted to solving problems. We had guests en route from out-of-town and…