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Author Munden shares an expansive, spiritually based view of marriage and its links to the Holy Trinity. Through various cogent essays and tender, thought-evoking poetic pieces, he makes the case that God is both one and three: the trinity of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Similarly, marriage links two individuals who make the decision to meld both pragmatically and romantically and to add to their relationship by opening it to a “third quality”—children (and pets). Before marriage, distinct from it, is courtship, in which two individuals maintain their separate natures while potentially becoming closer to one another. But marriage, Munden asserts, is the resolve of a male and a female “to become one.” He also examines how love can fail, resulting in self-based “demi-marriage” or “unimportant love.” Welcoming God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit into the marriage will strengthen the bond as partners begin to acknowledge the significance of their marriage vows historically preserved in scriptural language.
Munden, who had a career as a CPA and demonstrates that even within that profession can be seen the general trials and expectations of life, has arrayed his commentary on love, marriage, and the ideal of oneness in a logical fashion. He departs from the purely didactic stance in his poignant poetic offerings: “The flowers I give to thee / are arranged so carefully / a purple one here, a yellow one there / for your love’s a bouquet to me.” His marriage thesis is based on his own long and successful bonding and includes his insightful evaluation in a lengthy appendix of such difficult issues as pro-choice decisions. Extolling throughout a Christian-based, ever-changing, and expanding marriage bond, Munden’s work provides a fine focus for group discussion both for those enwrapped in a marital relationship and those contemplating that significant commitment.