If this be loving ... then I love!

On this Valentine's Day I share with you something very special.

A few years back I wrote a book based on the lives and letters of the couple who founded The Salvation Army, the global church and charity movement.

William Booth met Catherine Mumford in 1851 and they married four years later, in July 1855. Their relationship was developed through letter writing, and that correspondence continued throughout their marriage.

Those letters are held in the British Library in London, and it was sheer pleasure to spend hours pouring over those epistles, deciphering the handwriting. Through the correspondence I got to know these individuals on quite a personal level and I discovered that, although they were obviously very religious and spiritual, they were also complex characters, flawed individuals, and ... I found to my surprise ... very much in love.

That personal even romantic love kept Catherine and William close, and that and their love for God and humanity and their mutual passion for sharing the Christian gospel,  helped them to stay strong often during very difficult times.

I love that in 1872, 17 years into their marriage, William - who was also quite an accomplished poet - was inspired to write this to his wife, the mother of his eight children, and his partner in life, faith and Christian mission.

These were William's words, penned to his beloved Catherine in 1872 ... by the time he wrote this loving poem, they had been married for 17 years, having got married on 16 June 1855!

If ’tis love to wish thee near,

To shed for thee the silent tear,

To start at every step and fear,

Yet hope, that it will bring thee near –

If this be loving, then I love.

If ’tis love to wish that I,

Knit by some strange mysterious tie,

Might with thee live or with thee die,

Then dwell with thee eternally –

If this be loving, then I love.

 

Your own, your husband,

William.

By the way, if you fancy reading my book based on the Booth Letters, I will be honoured.

It's called 'William and Catherine - the love story of the founders of The Salvation Army told through their letters' (Lion Hudson 2013)

You can also find it and some of my other books on Amazon and other sites.

You can also check out my Author Central page on Amazon 

If you go to the top of this page and click on 'Cathy Home Page' you will also find my main website and occasional blog. And there's more info on 'Cathy's books'.

Thanks and Happy Valentine's Day!

(This post was first shared on February 14, St Valentine's Day, 2021 ... as part of my 'One Day at a Time' blog which featured a thought for every day that year. I've added a few words here but if you want to check that blog out it's on the front page of my website ... click here for 'One Day at a Time')