Necessary Sins

Lynn Darling's Necessary Sins is the autobiography of a marriage through courtship and the death of the husband. Lynn Darling and Lee Lascaze, both of whom worked for the Washington Post, began their romance while he was married. He was much older and establishment, while she was a 1960s wild child. Darling's poignant story caused laughter and tears. Surely writing this novel was an exercise in catharsis, but the fact that she was willing to expose and share her soul with the reader is astounding. This book is very difficult to put down and difficult emotionally to read.

Thoughts to Ponder

While doing some research today, I ran across an article by Leslie Cain detailing her thoughts on what it takes to be happy in a marriage or relationship. At first I thought her answer was too simplistic, but the more I tried to refute her statements, the more I had to agree with her. If you feel uniquely loved, appreciated, heard and respected, and understood in a relationship, then everything else is covered.

Look at any of the myriad of reasons given for relationship and marital failures:

• Lack of trust (cheating, lying, jealousy) 
• Lack of communication (not spending time with each other, avoidance issues, money issues)
• Lack of Affection (little sex, attention)
  
  
   
  
  The list could go on and on, but the point is that if both parties feel loved, appreciated, heard, respected, and understood, these reasons go away. Makes one think.