I never saw my husband cry.

There were two stories which made his eyes damp or wet. Today I will tell one of those stories.

There is a legend of the Spinnerin am Kreuz (“Spinner at the Cross”), the story of the spinning wife. Her husband, a merchant, had left for the Holy Land Crusade circa 1375.

Every time we were leaving the Austrian capital to go home by the Vienna woods, we would pass by a hill which has a statue of the Spinnerin am Kreuz, south of the city called Favoriten.

Every time Dietrich would tell me this story it made his eyes damp. It is said that the wife came to this hill every day waiting for her husband to return from the war. From there she could see far in the distance.

While she was working on spinning the wool, with diligence, she waited with hope, anticipating the return of her love. Faithfully she went there every day, but no husband came back.

People started to tell her, forget it, he will never come back, why don’t you marry again?
But instead she persevered for months or years, never giving up hope, and anticipating the return of her love.

One day as usual as she was working on her wool, and looking far in the distance, when a man in rags appeared who was begging for food. She hurried to take care of him, and suddenly realized it was him. Her husband had returned. What a joy and beauty there is in such faithfulness, after suffering and persevering to conquer her dreams.

Faithfulness made my husband eyes damp. Faithfulness is a heavenly emotion. There is value in being faithful.

To be faithful requires a strong conviction, a commitment. More than a feeling, love is a decision, Faithfulness is more than a feeling; it is a heavenly decision. Dietrich emphasized this over and over again in all his classes on marriage and family.

The first ancestors of humankind, Adam and Eve, did not keep the Commandment. They were not faithful to God and to each other. That is why there were chased out of the garden of Eden. This has been the root of unhappiness.

Today one more time God is giving us a blessing. We are entering the age of heavenly emotions. The love between husband and wife cannot be given to another. If it is, it will be destroyed.

Love between husband and wife is eternal. We pledge faithfulness, and include God in our relationship. This will bring peace in the family and ultimately peace in the world.

May God bless you and your family.
Your friend Elisabeth