Resources for marriage and partnership from beginning to end
Diana E. Carroll (Ed) Wild Goose Publications 2026
In her Preface to this handbook for hallowed relationships Diana Carroll confesses that it is not, though it does include some examples, a ‘How To Guide’ for those who want to plan a personalised wedding or partnership ceremony that is deeper and wider than those in regular use. It is much richer than that.
As the title suggests it is a resource for ‘marriage and partnership from beginning to end’ and so many of the bits in-between that make up our day-to-day life with those we hold close.
The beginnings are not just the wedding day but the time coming up to it as well. The endings are not just dying but also separating as well as for times of rejoining.
But it is the words for the everydayness of life together that will encourage many. Short essays and meditations, scripture readings and prayers for all sorts and conditions of life at home. Prayers around childbirth and its joys and sadnesses. Advice on how to have a holy row, including a very useful ‘Arrow prayer’ to repeat as a mantra when you find yourself in the middle of one! Gentle words for when illness strikes or the menopause assails. And words to share with others as you welcome them to your home or to whisper quietly when an aging parent moves into your space.
Diana and her team of authors, among them her wife Sarah Lamming, have prepared a smörgåsbord of holy living to make a feast for growth and joy.
Recommended as a gift not only for newborn couples but also for all those who find a need for ritual to mark the homely corners of life and those who encourage others in their call to live life
Psalm for a Home
From ‘Rooted in Love’
May your doorbell ring with a welcome
your home keep a couch for the weary
and your table hold a space for those out of place.
May the kettle in the kitchen be just boiled
your living room rock with laughter
and your phone be sometimes out of reach.
May your clothes be handed on
your plants remind you to water them
and the compost bin become your daily sermon.
May your car give people lifts
(may your neighbours’ names be known)
and your carbon footprint be gentle
whatever the road that rises to meet you.
May you cherish each quiet space
and the paths you take into each day.
May goodness and mercy follow you
down each and every way.
Martin Wroe
Reviewed by IC Trustee, Andrew Dotchin