Mr. Parker's Nose

One year after marrying my wife, we moved from San Diego to New York City. My parents lived in a tiny town 120 miles north of NYC in in Livingston. One morning, at breakfast, my wife asked my father, "Mr. Parker (she called him "Mr. Parker" until we had kids...now it is "Grandpa"). “were you in the Army?" My dad said, "No, when I had my physical, they put a circle on my chart around the heart, my shoulder and my nose." She said, "Mr. Parker, I didn't realize that they kept people out of the Army for having a big nos." My dad nearly choked to death on his orange juice from laughter. At that moment, she entered our family, not just as my wife, but as a true member. Her comment is still fodder for family jokes. Before marrying her, my parents and I existed in an equilateral triangle relationship. Between each of us there was a mutual bond of love and any two of us shared our love of the third. When Ida joined our family on that memorable day, a new triangle was born. She took my place at one of the corners and I moved to the center, between all three of them. Now our relationship included four, but not in a square, where one is isolated from the love of at least one member, but in the center. My parents and Ida all had equal access to one another and any three of us could share our love for the fourth. Perhaps this is an image of the Triune God before and after the birth of the Bride: Father Son and Spirit in an equilateral triangle relationship; each loving the other two and any two expressing their love for the third. At the birth of the Bride of Christ, He moved to the center, the Bride took His place and now, the fourth has equal access to all others and shares Their admiration for the Son who is in the middle-joined by lines of love to Father, Spirit and Bride and the Father, Spirit and Bride having lines of admiration between themselves as well. It is an as with any image of the Infinite, an imperfect representation. But it suddenly brought me to see the esteem in which the Infinite God holds us, His Church. 1/1/08