I'm endlessly fascinated by parenting, marriage, my wife and the

Hear now, O children of love and seekers of understanding, the words of Rob Delaney, the poet of modern laughter and sorrow, who once confessed: “I’m endlessly fascinated by parenting, marriage, my wife, and the ins and outs of marriage.” These words, though plain to the ear, carry within them a depth that reaches to the roots of what it means to live, to love, and to endure. For Delaney, a man who has tasted both the sweetness and the bitterness of life, speaks not as a philosopher from a mountaintop, but as a pilgrim walking the long road of devotion.

To say one is “endlessly fascinated” by marriage is to recognize that it is not a single story, but an ever-changing landscape — a dance between two souls that shifts with the seasons of time. The ins and outs that Delaney speaks of are not mere trivialities, but the daily mysteries that bind two lives together: the patience required to listen, the humility to forgive, the courage to remain when storms arise. He sees in marriage not a static vow, but a living art — one that must be practiced each day, shaped by tenderness and trial alike.

In the old days, the sages said that marriage was both a covenant and a crucible. It is the place where love is tested, refined, and remade. To be fascinated by it, as Delaney is, is to understand that even its imperfections are sacred — that the friction between two hearts can polish the soul until it shines. The same is true of parenting, that humbling apprenticeship of the heart, where a person learns that love is not possession but service. Delaney’s wonder, then, springs from seeing how these two bonds — of spouse and of child — mirror the divine act of creation itself.

Consider, my listeners, the story of Odysseus and Penelope, whose marriage endured twenty years of separation, trial, and temptation. Though oceans divided them, and though others sought to claim what they had built, Penelope remained steadfast, weaving by day and unraveling by night, a symbol of fidelity and faith. When Odysseus at last returned, weary and changed, their reunion was not the end of a story but its renewal. Such is the nature of marriage — not a moment of triumph, but a lifelong return to one another, again and again. Delaney, in his fascination, glimpses this same eternal rhythm.

His words also reveal gratitude — a reverence for his wife, whose presence gives meaning to both his laughter and his pain. To speak of fascination is to speak of awe, the same awe that ancient poets felt when they looked upon the sunrise or the sea. For in every marriage that endures, there is something miraculous: two imperfect beings, bound by choice, growing together through joy and grief. In the modern world, where love is often treated as fleeting, Delaney’s reflection calls us back to the sacredness of commitment — to the wonder of the ordinary.

And yet, his fascination with parenting completes the circle. For the love between husband and wife, when extended into the raising of children, becomes both legacy and lesson. In nurturing another life, one learns the highest form of humility — to love without condition, to protect without control, and to guide without owning. To Delaney, whose own life has been marked by the loss of a child, this fascination carries the weight of reverence. He knows that to love deeply is to risk heartbreak, and yet he chooses wonder over fear.

Therefore, my friends, take from this the lesson of reverent curiosity. Be fascinated by those you love. Do not grow weary of the daily rituals that bind your family together — the morning greetings, the shared meals, the quiet forgiveness at day’s end. For it is in those simple acts that the eternal dwells. As the ancients taught, love is not a destination but a discipline, not a feeling but a way of being.

So, let your heart, like Delaney’s, remain open and astonished. Be endlessly fascinated by your marriage, by your children, by the weaving of life itself. Look upon your beloved not with expectation, but with wonder. For in that wonder lies renewal, and in that renewal lies the secret of joy. Thus shall your days, though ordinary in appearance, become sacred in meaning — a living testament to the beauty of devotion, and to the endless mystery of love.