Relationship metaphor

 The cross is not a religious symbol. If you look closely you'll see cracks in the window.

Sunday we gave our first barbecue. When it was over a crack in our sliding glass door that hadn't been there before the party. We decided it was the heat from the barbecue.

Rick put duct tape on it to keep it from cracking more. The window can be replaced, but the original glass that was in the window will be lost forever.

It struck me as a metaphor for relationships.

They can't afford heat any more than that glass could. By heat, I mean game playing, blaming, nasty remarks, power struggles, dishonesty and and all plus other negativeness.

In Egyptian times glass was more precious than gold. Good relationships are precious. Keeping them from breaking is important and not easy to keep them from the "heat" sometimes. Accidental heat is probably better than deliberate but the result can be the same.