At the end of Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro, breathtaking music evokes a tremendous desire and yearning for the redemptive power of love. Against the background of a somewhat failed love affair and the foibles of human nature, torment and bad behaviour are transformed into celebratory joy. Real life drama may not play out so magically, yet we have a sense the miraculous permeates our everyday lives in mysterious ways.
In his memoir, Michael Harding reminisces on the miraculous power of love. He recounts sitting in a hotel drinking coffee, overhearing an engaged couple as they prepare their marriage with the wedding planner. He reflects:“Many years ago I’d promised my beloved the sun, moon and stars. We’d both fail. And then I failed, and failed again … Because as life is lived out, the promises turn out to be less than what was dreamed of … always failing, always deepening in love through failure …”