Came across a spiritual nugget in The Wall Street Journal, of all places, today.
Not that the WSJ is an unusual place to find blessings, but its editorial platform makes pretty clear where this particular media outlet’s priorities lie:
We speak for free markets and free people, the principles [marked]…by Thomas Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence and Adam Smith’s ‘Wealth of Nations.’ So over the past century and into the next, the Journal stands for free trade and sound money; against confiscatory taxation and the ukases of kings and other collectivists; and for individual autonomy against dictators, bullies and even the tempers of momentary majorities.
So yeah, it’s not exactly Altruism Illustrated. Which made it a pleasant surprise to read on the WSJ’s editorial page a touching story of love and faithfulness—the story of a 94-year-old man grievously injured in his efforts to serve his beloved wife, now suffering with dementia.
The man’s devotion deeply moved the physician who’d tended to his wounds. It caused him to reflect on the nature of a relationship that was transformative — and decidedly not market-based. 
Through marriage, the doctor wrote, the man ‘had undergone the type of indelible change in a soul that no personal injury or earthly event can undo.’ He went on to observe, ‘This covenant has liberated their souls and given them a higher purpose. Each of us that day, married or not, caught a glimpse of where our true north lies and a reminder of when we are at our best—in serving another.’
Not everyone is called to holiness through the vocation of marriage, of course. Still, I wonder if those of us who are married give adequate attention to this notion of our movement together toward a higher purpose.
Lent might be the perfect time to ask ourselves:
Are we moving in unison, or simply in parallel, toward the Lord?
And: How can we get better at inviting Jesus (the Bridegroom) into the blessing that is our couplehood? After all, we know that only choice wines are served when Christ is part of the wedding party!
Into the desert, together — my Paradise Partner and me…
Let us pause now…to recall that we are in the presence of the Holy One.
IHS
With Us Still 
Great find in the WSJ and an appropriate reflection. Instead of “giving up” something for Lent, “getting into” or “rediscovering” a gift or sacrament is an appropriate Lenten activity. And what a great photo to illustrate!
Thank you, Joe — and you’re right: there’s joy in the journey, in rediscovering the gifts already present in our faith!