Blue Flower

Wedding Verses and Readings

A marriage is loving and being loved, as well, its finding joy in all the things you share,

A marriage is trusting and understanding, too, each knowing that the other will be there.. A marriage is dreaming and making special plans, the kind that mean so much to both of you, And may happiness be yours through all the years ahead as all your dreams start coming true.

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“Take into account that great love and great achievements involve great risk. And that a loving atmosphere in your home is the foundation for your life. Be gentle with the earth, be gentle with one another. When diasgreements come remember always to protect the spirit of your union. When you realize you’ve made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it. Remember that the best relationship is one in which your love for each other exceeds your need for each other. So love yourselves, love one another, love all that is your life together, and all else will follow.”

********************

When we marry we fulfill our destiny of true love

For Truelove is a sacred flame

That burns eternally,

And none can dim its special glow

Or change that destiny.

True love speaks in tender tones

And hears with gentle ear,

True love gives with open heart

And true love conquers fear.

True love makes no harsh demands

It neither rules nor binds,

And true love holds with gentle hands

The hearts that it entwines.

*******************

A Soulmate is someone who has locks that fit our keys, and keys that fit our locks. No matter what else goes wrong around us, with that one person were safe in our own paradise. Our soulmate is someone who shares our deepest longings, our sense of direction. When we are two balloons, and together our direc tion is up, chances are weve found the right person. Our soulmate is the one who makes our life ...come to life!

*************************

LOVE IS THE GREATEST GIFT OF ALL

To love is to share Life together,

To build special plans just for two,

To work side by side,

and smile with pride

As one by one, dreams come true.

To love is to have someone special

On whom you can always depend

To be there through the years,

sharing laughter and tears

As a partner Lover & Friend.

To love is to make special memories

Of moments you love to recall.

Of all good things

that sharing life brings,

Love is the greatest of all.

****************

TOGETHER WITH YOU

Together is my favourite word,

and when you hold my hand

and when we talk for hours on end,

I know you understand..

Together is remembering

A special time or place

and feeling the assurance

of a tender, warm embrace..

Together is a certainty.

along lifes rocky way,

your comfort and companionship

will be there day by day..

Together is a silence

that i share with one true friend,

when the circle of our thought

has no beginning and no end.

***************

All I Really Need To Know I Learned In Kindergarten

by Robert Fulghum

Most of what I really need
To know about how to live
And what to do and how to be
I learned in kindergarten.
Wisdom was not at the top
Of the graduate school mountain,
But there in the sandpile at Sunday school.

These are the things I learned:

Share everything.
Play fair.
Don't hit people.
Put things back where you found them.
Clean up your own mess.
Don't take things that aren't yours.
Say you're sorry when you hurt somebody.
Wash your hands before you eat.
Flush.
Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you.
Live a balanced life -
Learn some and think some
And draw and paint and sing and dance
And play and work everyday some.
Take a nap every afternoon.
When you go out into the world,
Watch out for traffic,
Hold hands and stick together.
Be aware of wonder.

********************

FOR YOU BOTH

Scattered from hands of love like bread for wild birds

Flung like rainbows of confetti from hands of joy

Released like drops of warm and living rain

We shower you with blessings.

May compassion sustain you

Love be your walking guide.

Joy the bricks that build your house.

Laughter the cement that makes you both stong.

Compassion the roof that shelters you

In its strong and caring arms.

Mayh the path you walk together be the quiet path of harmony

Respecting each others differences

May your friends and children gather at your table.

May life be longand, at its human end

may the gaze that falls each upon the other

Be still alive with love,

and twinkle yet with laughter.

Health, gladness and love always

dear................. dear.............

with hearts filled with joy we celenrate

Your wedding day..

***************

A White Rose
The red rose whispers of passion,
And the white rose breathes of love;
O the red rose is a falcon,
And the white rose is a dove.
But I send you a cream-white rosebud
With a flush on its petal tips;
For the love that is purest and sweetest
Has a kiss of desire on the lips.
…………………..John Boyle O’Reilly

***********

Apache Blessing
Now you will feel no rain, for each of you will be the shelter for each other.
Now you will feel no cold, for each of you will be the warmth for the other.
Now you are two persons, but there is only one life before.
Go now to your dwelling to enter into the days of your life together.
And may your days be good and long upon the earth.
(This can be added:) Treat yourselves and each other with respect, and remind
yourselves often of what brought you together. Give the highest priority to the
tenderness, gentleness and kindness that your connection deserves. When
frustration, difficult and fear assail your relationship - as they threaten all
relationships at one time or another - remember to focus on what is right
between you, not only the part which seems wrong. In this way, you can ride out
the storms when clouds hide the face of the sun in your lives - remembering
that even if you lose sight of it for a moment, the sun is still there. And if each of
you takes responsibility for the quality of your life together, it will be marked by
abundance and delight.

****************

I WILL BE HERE
By Steven Curtis Chapman

If in the morning when you wake, If the sun does not appear, I will be here. If in
the dark we lose sight of love, hold my hand and have no fear, I will be here. I
will be here when you feel like being quiet, when you need to speak your mind,
I will listen. Through the winning, losing, and trying we’ll be together and I will
be here. If in the morning when you wake, If the future is unclear, I will be here.
As sure as seasons were made for change, our lifetimes were made for years, I
will be here

**************

Thou art the star that guides me along life's changing sea;
And whate'er fate betides me, This heart still turns to thee.
.............................George P. Morris

***************
Love is the joy of the good, the wonder of the wise, the amazement of the Gods.
…………………Plato

**************
I have been astonished that men could die martyrs for their religion -
I have shudder'd at it.
I shudder no more.
I could be martyr'd for my religion
Love is my religion
And I could die for that.
I could die for you.
……………….John Keats

***********
FOR YOU BOTH

Scattered from hands of love like bread for wild birds
Flung like rainbows of confetti from hands of joy
Released like drops of warm and living rain
We shower you with blessings
May companionship sustain you
Love be your walking guide
Joy the bricks that build your house
Laughter the cement that makes you strong
Compassion the roof that shelters you
In its strong and caring arms
May the path you walk together be the quiet path of harmony
Respecting each other’s differences
May friends and children gather at your table
May life be long and, at its human end
May the gaze that falls each upon the other
Be still alive with love
And twinkle yet with laughter
Health, gladness and love always
Dear……. and Dear………
With hearts filled with joy we celebrate
your marriage.

**************

Apache Wedding Blessing

Now you will feel no rain,
For each of you will be shelter for the other.

Now you will feel no cold,
For each of you will be warmth to the other,

Now there will be no loneliness,
For each of you will be companion to the other.

Now you are two persons,
But there is only one life before you.

May beauty surround you both in the journey ahead,
And through all the years,
May happiness be your companion,
And your days together be good and long upon the earth.

******

Treat yourselves and each other with respect,

and remind yourselves often of what brought you together.

Give the highest priority to the tenderness,

gentleness and kindness that your connection deserves.

When frustration, difficulty and fear enter your lives -

remember to focus on what is right between you.

And if each of you takes responsibility for the quality of your life together,

it will be marked with abundance and delight.

******************

A soulmate is someone who has locks that fit our keys, and keys to fit our locks.
When we feel safe enough to open the locks, our truest selves step out and we can be completely and honestly who we are;
we can be loved for who we are and not for who we're pretending to be.
Each unveils the best part of the other.
No matter what else goes wrong around us, with that one person we're safe in our own paradise.
Our soulmate is someone who shares our deepest longings, our sense of direction.
When we're two balloons, and together our direction is up, chances are we've found the right person.
Our soulmate is the one who makes life come to life.

by Richard Bach

*******************

'Friendship' - Author unknown.

It is often said that it is love that makes the world go around. However without doubt, it is friendship which keeps our spinning existence on an even keel. True friendship provides so many of the essentials for a happy life – it is the foundation on which to build an enduring relationship, it is the mortar which bonds us together in harmony, and it is the calm, warm protection we sometimes need when the world outside seems cold and chaotic. True friendship holds a mirror to our foibles and failings, without destroying our sense of worthiness. True friendship nurtures our hopes, supports us in our disappointments, and encourages us to grow to our best potential. ……………. And …………….. came together as friends, have become good friends and today they pledge not only their love, but also the strength, warmth and most importantly the joy of being best friends who will love each other forever.

*******************

I love you because

I love you because you’re my future,

my present and part of my past.

My world has been turning so quickly,

and time just keeps moving so fast.

I love you because you have something,

no ordinary person could give.

Warmth that I will cling to forever,

and hold onto as long as I live.

I love you because your devotion,

is tender and wonderfully rare.

And no-one could ever imagine

the magical moments we share.

I love you because you are truthful,

your eyes hold a key to my heart.

I know that you share my commitment,

and I know that we never shall part.

I love you because you are wonderful.

and you give me all that I need.

A hug when I seek reassurance,

and a smile when we’ve disagreed.

I love you because – I just love you,

for too many reasons to say.

And I’ll always be right here beside you,

a breath and a heartbeat away.

*********

Wise Words.. of Captain Corelli's Mandolin

Love is a temporary madness. It erupts like an earthquake and then subsides. And when it subsides you have to make a decision. You have to work out whether your roots have become so entwined together that it is inconceivable that you should ever part. Because this is what love is. Love is not breathlessness, it is not excitement, it is not the promulgation of promises of eternal passion. That is just being "in love" which any of us can convince ourselves we are.
Love itself is what is left over when being in love has burned away, and this is both an art and a fortunate accident. Your mother and I had it, we had roots that grew towards each other underground, and when all the pretty blossom had fallen from our branches we found that we were one tree and not two.
- Captain Corelli's Mandolin

*********

Open Road, by Walt Whitman

I do not offer the old smooth prizes,

But offer rough new prizes,

These are the days that must happen to you:

You shall not heap up what is called riches,

You shall scatter with lavish hand all that you earn or achieve.

However sweet the laid-up stores,

However convenient the dwellings,

You shall not remain there.

However sheltered the port,

And however calm the waters,

You shall not anchor there.

However welcome the hospitality that welcomes you

You are permitted to receive it but a little while

Afoot and lighthearted, take to the open road,

Healthy, free, the world before you,

The long path before you,

leading wherever you choose.

Say only to one another:

Camerado, I give you my hand!

I give you my love, more precious than money,

I give you myself before preaching or law:

Will you give me yourself?

Will you come travel with me?

Shall we stick by each other as long as we live?

Seven Blessings

May you be blessed with love.

May the love between you be passionate and serene, strong and enduring bringing a deep

abiding peace into your lives.

May you be blessed with wisdom.

May you continually learn from one another and the world.

Together may you grow, deepening your knowledge and understanding of each other and of

your journey together through life.

May you be blessed with the fruit of the earth.

May your harvest be abundant and prosperous in all areas of your lives.

May you be blessed with art and beauty.

May your creative aspirations and experiences find expression and bring you joy and

fulfillment.

May you be blessed with balance.

May you respect the relationship between expanding and contracting, in giving and receiving,

in doing and in being.

May you be blessed with community.

May you always be blessed with the awareness that you are an essential part of the circle of

family and friends. May there always be within this group a sense of mutual love, trust,

support, and respect.

May you be blessed with health.

May life bestow upon you wholeness of mind, body and spirit.

May you live long that you may share many happy years together.

**************************

WHEN THE ONE WHO'S HAND YOUR HOLDING

When the one who's hand you're holding

Is the one who holds your heart,

When the one whose eyes you gaze into

Gives your hopes and dreams their start,

When the one you think of first and last

Is the one who holds you tight.

And the things you plan together

Make the whole world seem just right,

When the one whom you believe in

Puts their face and trust in you,

You've found the one and only love

You'll share your whole life through.

**************

Edmund O'Neill (b.1929)

Marriage is a commitment to life, the best that two people can find and bring out in each other. It offers opportunities for sharing and growth that no other relationship can equal. It is a physical and an emotional joining that is promised for a lifetime.

Within the circle of its love, marriage encompasses all of life's most important relationships. A wife and a husband are each other's best friend, confidant, lover, teacher, listener, and critic. And there may come times when one partner is heartbroken or ailing, and the love of the other may resemble the tender caring of a parent for a child.

Marriage deepens and enriches every facet of life. Happiness is fuller, memories are fresher, commitment is stronger, even anger is felt more strongly, and passes away more quickly.

Marriage understands and forgives the mistakes life is unable to avoid. It encourages and nurtures new life, new experiences, and new ways of expressing a love that is deeper than life.

When two people pledge their love and care for each other in marriage, they create a spirit unique unto themselves which binds them closer than any spoken or written words. Marriage is a promise, a potential made in the hearts of two people who love each other and takes a lifetime to fulfill .

***************************************

Love is Giving

Love is giving, not taking,

mending, not breaking,

trusting, believing,

never deceiving,

patiently bearing and faithfully sharing

each joy, every sorrow, today and tomorrow.
Love is kind, understanding, but never demanding.

Love is constant, prevailing, its strength never failing.
A promise once spoken For all time unbroken,

Love’s time is forever.

*****

Union by Robert Fulghum

You have known each other from the first glance of acquaintance to this point of commitment. At some point, you decided to marry. From that moment of yes, to this moment of yes, indeed, you have been making commitments in an informal way. All of those conversations that were held in a car, or over a meal, or during long walks – all those conversations that began with, “When we’re married”, and continued with “I will” and “you will” and “we will” – all those late night talks that included “someday” and “somehow” and “maybe” – and all those promises that are unspoken matters of the heart. All these common things, and more, are the real process of a wedding.

The symbolic vows that you are about to make are a way of saying to one another, “You know all those things that we’ve promised, and hoped, and dreamed – well, I meant it all, every word.”

Look at one another and remember this moment in time. Before this moment you have been many things to one another – acquaintance, friend, companion, lover, dancing partner, even teacher, for you have learned much from one another these past few years. Shortly you shall say a few words that will take you across a threshold of life, and things between you will never quite be the same.

For after today you shall say to the world –

This is my husband. This is my wife.

*******************

From Les Miserables

Victor Hugo (1802-1885)

You can give without loving, but you can never love without giving. The great acts of love are done by those who are habitually performing small acts of kindness. We pardon to the extent that we love. Love is knowing that even when you are alone, you will never be lonely again. And great happiness of life is the conviction that we are loved. Loved for ourselves. And even loved in spite of ourselves.

***************

Love me when I'm old and shocking
Peel off my elastic stockings
Swing me from the chandeliers
Let's be randy bad old dears.

Plump the cushions on my chair
Let me tease your white chest hair
Scaring children, swapping dentures
Let us have some great adventures

Take me out on lavish dates

Or send me off to meet my mates
Fillet my fish and bring me tea
Show me how it's meant to be

Take me out to rugby games
Let’s go watch the Hurricanes
You in shorts and socks and sandals
Me with wrinkles and love-handles

Keep the coffee hot and the beer cold

And say I look pretty even when I’m old

Make me laugh without constraint
Buy me chocolate body paint

Hold me safe throughout the night
When my hair has turned to white
Believe me when I say it's true
I've waited all my life for you.

*******************

I love you not only for what you are,
But for what I am when I am with you
I love you not only for what you have made of yourself
But for what you are making me
I love you for the part of me that you bring out.

I love you for passing over all my foolish and weak traits,
I love you for drawing out into the light my beauty,
That no one else had looked quite far enough to see
I love you.

************************

Pam Ayres – Yes I’ll Marry You

Yes, I’ll Marry You.
Yes, I’ll marry you, my dear,
And here’s the reason why;
So I can push you out of bed
When the baby starts to cry,
And if we hear a knocking
And it’s creepy and it’s late,
I hand you the torch you see,
And you investigate.

Yes I’ll marry you, my dear,
You may not apprehend it,
But when the tumble-drier goes
It’s you that has to mend it,
You have to face the neighbour
Should our sausage dog attack him,
And if a drunkard fondles me
It’s you that has to whack him.

Yes, I’ll marry you,
You’re virile and you’re lean,
My house is like a pigsty
You can help to keep it clean.
That sexy little dinner
Which you served by candlelight,
As I do chipolatas,
You can cook it every night!

It’s you who has to work the drill
and put up curtain track,
And when I’ve got PMT it’s you who gets the flak,
I do see great advantages,
But none of them for you,
And so before you see the light,
I do, I do, I do!

***

For the groom

Louise Cuddon – I’ll Be There For You

I’ll be there my darling, through thick and through thin
When your mind’s in a mess and your head’s in a spin
When your plane’s been delayed, and you’ve missed the last train.
When life is just threatening to drive you insane
When your thrilling whodunit has lost its last page
When somebody tells you, you’re looking your age
When your coffee’s too cool, and your wine is too warm
When the forecast said “Fine”, but you’re out in a storm
When your quick break hotel, turns into a slum
And your holiday photos show only your thumb
When you park for five minutes in a resident’s bay
And return to discover you’ve been towed away
When the jeans that you bought in hope or in haste
Just stick on your hips and don’t reach round your waist
When the food you most like brings you out in red rashes
When as soon as you boot up the bloody thing crashes
So my darling, my sweetheart, my dear…
When you break a rule, when you act the fool
When you’ve got the flu, when you’re in a stew
When you’re last in the queue, don’t feel blue ’cause
I’m telling you, I’ll be there.

******************

The Rabbit and the Rocking Horse

‘How can I become real?’ the little velvet rabbit asked the old rocking horse

‘It’s something that happens to you when someone loves you,

for a long long time, really loves you.’ replied the horse.

‘Does it hurt?’

‘Sometimes,’ answered the rocking horse, ‘but when you are real you don’t mind being hurt.

‘Does it happen all at once, like being wound up?’ asked the little velvet rabbit

‘No, not all at once’ said the horse.

‘It takes a long time. That’s why it doesn’t happen often to people who break easily,

or who have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept.’

‘By the time you are real your velvet will be worn out and loved off,

and you will look shabby, but these things don’t matter at all

because you are real and can’t be ugly,

except to people who don’t know how to love.’

****

THE ONE

When the one who's hand you're holding

Is the one who holds your heart,

When the one whose eyes you gaze into

Gives your hopes and dreams their start,

When the one you think of first and last

Is the one who holds you tight.

And the things you plan together

Make the whole world seem just right,

When the one whom you believe in

Puts their face and trust in you,

You've found the one and only love

You'll share your whole life through.

*****

True Love

Truelove is a sacred flame

That burns eternally,

And none can dim its special glow

Or change its destiny.

True love speaks in tender tones

And hears with gentle ear,

True love gives with open heart

And true love conquers fear.

True love makes no harsh demands

It neither rules nor binds,

And true love holds with gentle hands

The hearts that it entwines

******

Blessing

May the sun bring you new strength by day
May the moon softly restore you by night
May the rain wash away your fears
And the breeze invigorate your being.

May you, all the days of your life,
Walk gently through the world
And know its beauty.

Now you will feel no rain, for each will shelter each other.
Now you will feel no cold, for each will warm the other,
Now you will feel no solitude, for each will company the other.
Now you are two persons, but both will lead one life.
Go to your dwelling to begin the days of your life together.

And may your days be good and long upon the earth.

*****

Treat yourselves and each other with respect,

and remind yourselves often of what brought you together.

Give the highest priority to the tenderness,

gentleness and kindness that your connection deserves.

When frustration, difficulty and fear enter your lives -

remember to focus on what is right between you.

And if each of you takes responsibility for the quality of your life together,

it will be marked with abundance and delight.

************

Reading

To love means not to impose your own powers on
your fellow person, but to offer them your help.
And if they refuse it, to be proud that they can do it on their own strength.

To love means to live without fear and
anxieties about tomorrow.
To love means never to be afraid of the wind-storms of life:
should you shield the canyons from the wind storms,
you would never see the true beauty of their carvings.

By Shanti Nilaya and Elizabeth Kubler Ross.

******

Reading… by Larry S Chengges

If you can always be as close
and happy as today,
Yet be secure enough to grow
and change along the way…

If you can keep for you alone
your love as man and wife.
yet find the time to share your joy,
with others in your life….

If you can be as one,
and walk through marriage
hand in hand,
yet still support the goals and dreams
that each of you have planned…

If you can dare to always go
your separate ways together
Then all the wonders of today
will stay with you forever..

******

Treat yourselves and each other with respect,

and remind yourselves often of what brought you together.

Give the highest priority to the tenderness,

gentleness and kindness that your connection deserves.

When frustration, difficulty and fear enter your lives -

remember to focus on what is right between you.

And if each of you takes responsibility for the quality of your life together,

it will be marked with abundance and delight.

******

Reading

LOVE IS PATIENT, love is kind…
It does not envy..
it does not boast, it is not proud.

It is not rude, it is not self seeking,
it is not easily angered,
it keeps no record of wrongs.

Love does not delight in evil,
but rejoices in the truth.

It always protects, always trusts,
always hopes, always preserves.

LOVE NEVER FAILS.

Love is patient, Love is kind,
It does not envy, it does not boast,
It is not proud, it is not rude,
It is not self-seeking,
It is not easily angered,
It keeps no record of wrongs.

Love does not delight in evil,
but rejoices with the truth.

Love always protects, always trusts,
always hopes, always perseveres.

Love bears all things, believes all things,
hopes all things, endures all things.

Love never ends.

Lover never fails

(Corinthians 13:4-8)

*****

Love is a Mighty Power

Love is a mighty power, a great and complete good.

Love alone lightens every burden, and makes rough places smooth.

It bears every hardship as though it was nothing,

and renders all bitterness sweet and acceptable.

Nothing is sweeter than love, nothing stronger,

Nothing higher, nothing wider, and nothing more pleasant.

Love is free and unrestrained. Love knows no limits,

but ardently transcends all bounds. Love feels no burden,

takes no account of toil, and attempts things beyond its strength.

Love sees nothing as impossible, for it feels able to achieve all things.

Love is not fickle and sentimental, nor is it intent on vanities.

Like a living flame and a burning torch,

it surges upward and surely surmounts every obstacle.”*

*****

It's your Wedding Day
It's your Wedding Day
So perfect and fine,
With all your friends round you
To have a good time.
And we wish you much happiness
Starting your lives as one,
Always give love to each other
With lots of laughter and fun

*****

Today (dear daughter), as you walk down the aisle

You'll see all the faces wearing a smile.

But as we remember those young tender years

Our smiles will conceal a few hidden tears.

It isn't through sadness , our emotions just whirl

As we're both thinking back to our dear little girl

They're not tears of sorrow, but tears full of joy

And now you have grown and made us so proud

As you smile for the camera and the rest of the crowd

Remember dear (name) as you become a new wife

Remember dear (name) as you take your new wife

You're still very much a part of our life!

We're not losing a daughter, we are gaining a son,

You're new lives as husband and wife have begun

So be blissfully happy and enjoy your 'Big Day'

Have a wonderful marriage with a rose strewn way!

***********

The fierce Dinosaur was trapped inside his cage of ice.
Although it was cold he was happy in there. It was, after all, his cage.
Then along came the Lovely Other Dinosaur.
The Lovely Other Dinosaur melted the Dinosaur’s cage with kind words and loving thoughts.

I like this Dinosaur thought the Lovely Other Dinosaur.
Although he is fierce he is also tender and he is funny.
He is also quite clever though I will not tell him this for now.

I like this Lovely Other Dinosaur, thought the Dinosaur.
She is beautiful and she is different and she smells so nice.
She is also a free spirit which is a quality I much admire in a dinosaur.

But he can be so distant and so peculiar at times, thought the Lovely Other Dinosaur.
He is also overly fond of things.
Are all Dinosaurs so overly fond of things?

But her mind skips from here to there so quickly thought the Dinosaur.
She is also uncommonly keen on shopping.
Are all Lovely Other Dinosaurs so uncommonly keen on shopping?

I will forgive his peculiarity and his concern for things, thought the Lovely Other Dinosaur.
For they are part of what makes him a richly charactered individual.

I will forgive her skipping mind and her fondness for shopping, thought the Dinosaur.
For she fills our life with beautiful thoughts and wonderful surprises. Besides,
I am not unkeen on shopping either.

Now the Dinosaur and the Lovely Other Dinosaur are old.
Look at them.
Together they stand on the hill telling each other stories and feeling the warmth of the sun on their backs.

And that, my friends, is how it is with love.
Let us all be Dinosaurs and Lovely Other Dinosaurs together.
For the sun is warm.
And the world is a beautiful place

*******************

Love is a temporary madness. It erupts like an earthquake and then subsides. And when it subsides you have to make a decision. You have to work out whether your roots have become so entwined together that it is inconceivable that you should ever part. Because this is what love is. Love is not breathlessness, it is not excitement, it is not the promulgation of promises of eternal passion. That is just being in love which any of us can convince ourselves we are. Love itself is what is left over when being in love has burned away, and this is both an art and a fortunate accident. Your mother and I had it, we had roots that grew towards each other underground, and when all the pretty blossom had fallen from our branches we found that we were one tree and not two.

Captain Corelli's Mandolin

*****************************

On Marriage from “The Prophet” by Kahil Gibran

You were born together and together you shall be evermore

You shall be together when the white wings of death scatter your day.

But let there be spaces in your togetherness.

And let the winds of the heaven dance between you.

Love one another, but make not a bond of love.
Let it be rather a moving sea between the shores of your souls.

Fill each others cup but drink not from one cup.

Sing and dance together and be joyous,

but let each one of you be alone, even as the strings of the lute are alone,

though they quiver with the same music.

And stand together, but not too near together,

for the pillars of the temple stand apart, and the oak tree and the cypress grow not in each others shadow.

******

The Greatest Adventure The Ballad of a Hobbit

A Hobbit Song

The greatest adventure is what lies ahead

Today and tomorrow are yet to be said

The chances, the changes are all yours to make

The mould of your life is in your hands to break

The greatest adventure is if you are bold

Let go of the moment that life makes you hold

To measure the meaning can make you delay

It’s time to stop thinking and wasting your day

The man who’s a dreamer and never takes leave

Who thinks of a world that’s just make believe

Will never know passion, will never know pain

Who sits by the window will one day see rain

The greatest adventure is what lies ahead

Today and tomorrow are yet to be said

The chances, the changes are all yours to make

The mould of your life is in your hands to break

********************

Together With You

“Together” is my favourite word,

and when you hold my hand

and when we talk for hours on end,

I know you understand…

Together is remembering

A special time or place

And feeling the assurance

Of a tender, warm embrace…

Together is the certainty,

Along life’s rocky way,

Your comfort and companionship

Will be there day by day…

Together is the silence

That I share with one True Friend,

When the circles of our thoughts

Has no beginning and no end.

***********

Ever wonder why God gives us two?
Ever wonder why God gives us two?
A right hand to show the left what to do.
One ear to listen and one to hear
the problems of others,
their laughter and fears.
One eye to watch and one to behold
the beautiful treasures
that life has to hold.
One foot to travel and one to stand tall.
Two feet to land on if we should fall.
One man to stand by a woman's side;
One woman to cherish being his bride.
The love between partners
comes shining through
and that is the reason
God has made two.

*****

May God Bless You
On Your Wedding Day

*****
Today you are joined in marriage,
remember to always…
Be understanding of your partner’s needs.
Hold each other in the highest regard.
Have a sense of humour as you meet life’s challenges.
Honour one another when you are together or apart.
Respect each other’s differences.
Enjoy the good times, and endure the storms.
Make your dreams come true, together…
Most of all, love one another…

***************************

IRISH BLESSING

May the road rise to meet you,

May the wind be always at your back.

May the sun shine warm upon your face,

The rains fall soft upon your fields.

And until we meet again,

May God hold you in the palm of his hand.

May God be with you and bless you;

May you see your children's children.

May you be poor in misfortune,

Rich in blessings,

May you know nothing but happiness

From this day forward.

May the road rise to meet you

May the wind be always at your back

May the warm rays of sun fall upon your home

And may the hand of a friend always be near.

May green be the grass you walk on,

May blue be the skies above you,

May pure be the joys that surround you,

May true be the hearts that love you.

*****

May you always feel as close as you do this day.
May your lives be graced with good health.
May you always find happiness in your home,
and may it be a refuge from the storms of life.
May your love grow ever stronger as you share
your lives together, and may your future be even
more wonderful than you dreamed possible

*****

Marriage begins with a wedding,
where two people promise “to have and to hold, to love
and to cherish” come what may...
The comfort in a marriage comes from caring
for one another, and showing it each day…
The happiness in marriage comes from knowing that the love you
share will grow ever stronger as you go through life together.
The blessings of marriage are the fulfilment of your
cherished hopes and dreams as your lives unfold,
and the realization of the meaning of
that beautiful promise “To have and to hold…”

Pour all of this into a Vessel Of Love,
Cook thoroughly over Radiant Joy
Garnish with Smiles
Serve with Quietness, Unselfishness and Cheerfulness

And you are bound to have a Happy Life.

*****
A Marriage by Mark Twain
A marriage... makes of two fractional lives a whole;

It gives to two purposeless lives a work,

and doubles the strength of each to perform it;

It gives two questioning natures a reason for living,

and something to live for;

It will give a new gladness to the sunshine,

a new fragrance to the flowers,

a new beauty to the earth and a new mystery to life.

*****

Madeleine L'Engle

Ultimately there comes a time when a decision must be made. Ultimately two people who love each other must ask themselves how much they hope for as their love grows and deepens, and how much risk they are willing to take. It is indeed a fearful gamble. Because it is the nature of love to create, a marriage itself is something which has to be created. To marry is the biggest risk in human relations that a person can take. If we commit ourselves to one person for life this is not, as many people think, a rejection of freedom; rather it demands the courage to move into all the risks of freedom, and the risk of love which is permanent; into that love which is not possession, but participation. It takes a lifetime to learn another person. When love is not possession, but participation, then it is part of that co-creation which is our human calling.

*******************

Wedding Cake Recipe:

1/2 lb good looks
1lb sweet temper
1lb butter of youth
1lb blindness of faults
1lb of wit
1lb good humour
2lb of sweet argument
1 pint of rippling laughter
1 wine glass of common sense
a dash of modesty

Put the love good looks and a sweet temper into a well furnished house.
Beat the butter of youth into a cream,
and mix well together with the blindness of faults.
Stir the wit and good humour into the sweet argument
then add the rippling laughter and common sense.
Work the whole thing together until everything is well mixed,
and bake gently forever.

*****

Good luck! Congratulations!
Best wishes! Cheers! Well done!
The futures full of promise and
Its only just begun
You're starting on a journey
A new, exciting life
Together, as a partnership
As husband and as a wife
Adventures, thrills and choices
Are waiting just for you
The road will have some turnings
And perhaps a bump or two
But you’ll be strong together
You’ll come through every test
Your love will deepen week by week
Be Happy All the best

*****

Reading for a Son

Today dear Son, as you walk down the aisle
You'll see all the faces wearing a smile.
But as we remember those young tender years
Our smiles will conceal a few hidden tears.
They're not tears of sorrow, but tears full of joy
As we're both thinking back to our dear little boy
And now you have grown up and made us so proud
As you smile for the camera and the rest of the crowd
Remember dear (name) as you take your new wife
You're still very much a part of our life!
We're gaining a daughter. not losing a son,
You're new lives as husband and wife have begun
So be blissfully happy and enjoy your 'Big Day'
Have a wonderful marriage with a rose strewn way!

*****

For a daughter

Today dear daughter, as you walk down the aisle
You'll see all the faces wearing a smile.
But as we remember those young tender years
Our smiles will conceal a few hidden tears.
It isn't through sadness , our emotions just whirl
As we're both thinking back to our dear little girl
And now you have grown and made us so proud
As you smile for the camera and the rest of the crowd
Remember dear (name) as you become a new wife
You're still very much a part of our life!
We're not losing a daughter, we are gaining a son,
You're new lives as husband and wife have begun
So be blissfully happy and enjoy your 'Big Day'
Have a wonderful marriage with a rose strewn way!

*****

With warmest wishes
for the best in life
as you both look forward
to a shared future
of love, friendship,
and the wonderful closeness
that is marriage.

Congratulations

*****

For a Special Couple on Your Wedding Day
Love grows deeper, stronger,
and more beautiful
when it is planted by God
...Kept in His Will
...Nourished by His Word
and warmed by the sunshine
of His ever-abiding presence.
May you always walk together
in the happy ways of love
Trusting in the grace of God
To lead you from above.

Congratulations

*****

Wishing You God's Blessing
on Your Wedding Day...
...and may He always be
the heart of your marriage,
the light of your home,
and the ever-present partner
in your life together.

Congratulations

*****

From this day forward,
as you share life's joys and trials,
may you always comfort one another
with a smile...
Always be together through
both laughter and the tears...
Depending on each other...
Loving happily ever after.
Wishing you an "always" kind of love.

Best Wishes on Your Wedding Day

******

Wishing you a happy marriage
and hoping that your
life together will be rich
in joy and love.

*****

May this day you share
be filled with love and laughter
May all the days ahead
be happy ever after!

*****

Reading #2: Piglet and Pooh, by A.A. Milne and P. Wardlow

“When you wake up in the morning, Pooh,” said Piglet, “what's the first thing you say to yourself?”

“What's for breakfast?” said Pooh. “What do you say, Piglet?”

“I say, I wonder what's going to happen exciting today?” said Piglet.

Pooh nodded thoughtfully. “It's the same thing,” he said. “So why do you suppose we are such good friends, Piglet?” he asked as they walked down the road together.

“Because we have been on such great adventures together?” asked Piglet

“Yes, and they were all very frightening but wonderful adventures to say the least, but it’s more than that I think,” Pooh said very seriously, as if in deep thought.

“Well, maybe it’s because we look at the world together and agree about what we see.” said Piglet.

“That is true but we don’t see eye to eye on everything,” said Pooh. “You often think my pursuit and love of honey gets out of hand at times while I think it can never be enough.” Pooh smiled and patted his nice round belly absently as he said this.

“Hmmm…you have a point Pooh, there are times in your dreaming and your wonderings where I have come close to my wits end with you,” Piglet bemoaned to himself as he kicked a small pebble out of Pooh’s path as they walked.

“Yet still we are friends, in all these hundred acre woods we found each other and continue on,” Pooh mused to himself as he walked the road with Piglet.

“Why do you ask anyway Pooh?” Piglet turned to Pooh looking worried.

“Oh just a butterfly of a thought in my brain I get sometimes when I realize how lucky I am.” Pooh said smiling again.

“Oh.” Piglet said and smiled with him as they continued their walk down the road.

True Love

Truelove is a sacred flame
That burns eternally,
And none can dim its special glow
Or change its destiny.
True love speaks in tender tones
And hears with gentle ear,
True love gives with open heart
And true love conquers fear.
True love makes no harsh demands
It neither rules nor binds,
And true love holds with gentle hands
The hearts that it entwines.

******

This Day I Married My Best Friend

This day I married my best friend
...the one I laugh with as we share life's wonderous zest,
as we find new enjoyments and experience all that's best.
...the one I live for because the world seems brighter
as our happy times are better and our burdens feel much lighter.
...the one I love with every fiber of my soul.
We used to feel vaguely incomplete, now together we are whole.

Today I Married My Best Friend
Rachel Elizabeth Cooper (b.1977)

Today I married my best friend,
Our bond complete, it hath no end,
We share one soul, we share one heart,
A perfect time - a perfect start.

With these rings we share together,
Love so close to last forever,
This special day - two special hearts,
Let nothing keep this love apart.

*****

When You Are Old - William Butler Yeats (1865-1939)

When you are old and grey and full of sleep,
And nodding by the fire, take down this book,
And slowly read, and dream of the soft look
Your eyes had once, and of their shadows deep;
How many loved your moments of glad grace,
And loved your beauty with love false or true,
But one man loved the pilgrim Soul in you,
And loved the sorrows of your changing face;
And bending down beside the glowing bars,
Murmur, a little sadly, how Love fled
And paced upon the mountains overhead
And hid his face amid a crowd of stars.

*****

Now What Is Love - Thomas Rainborow (d.1648)

Now what is love? I pray thee, tell.
It is that fountain and that well,
Where pleasure and repentance dwell.

*****

Love's Philosophy - Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822)

The fountains mingle with the rivers
And the rivers with the oceans,
The winds of heaven mix forever
With a sweet emotion;
Nothing in the world is single;
All things by a law divine
In one spirit meet and mingle.
Why not I with thine?

See the mountains kiss high heaven
And the waves clasp one another;
No sister-flower would be forgiven
If it disdained its brother,
And the sunlight clasps the earth
And the moonbeams kiss the sea:
What is all this sweet work worth
If thou kiss not me?

*****

If ever two were one, then surely we.
If ever man were lov'd by wife, then thee;
If ever wife was happy in a man,
Compare with me ye women you can
I prize thy love more than whole mines og Gold.
Or all the riches that the East doth hold.
My love is such that rivers cannot quench,
Nor ought but love from thee, give recompense.
Thy love is such I can no way repay,
The heavens reward thee manifold repay,
Then while we live, in love let's so persevere
That when we live no more, we may live ever.

*****
By Elizabeth Barrett Browning
How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of Being and ideal Grace.
I love thee to the level of every day's
Most quiet need; by sun and candle-light.
I love thee freely, as men strive for Right;
I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise.
I love thee with the passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints,--I love thee with the breath.
Smiles, tears, of all my life!--and, if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after death.

*****

Karen Clodfelder

As we grow older together,
As we continue to change with age,
There is one thing that will never change...
I will always keep falling in love with you.
******

Seven Blessings

May you be blessed with love.

May the love between you be passionate and serene, strong and enduring bringing a deep

abiding peace into your lives.

May you be blessed with wisdom.

May you continually learn from one another and the world.

Together may you grow, deepening your knowledge and understanding of each other and of

your journey together through life.

May you be blessed with the fruit of the earth.

May your harvest be abundant and prosperous in all areas of your lives.

May you be blessed with art and beauty.

May your creative aspirations and experiences find expression and bring you joy and

fulfillment.

May you be blessed with balance.

May you respect the relationship between expanding and contracting, in giving and receiving,

in doing and in being.

May you be blessed with community.

May you always be blessed with the awareness that you are an essential part of the circle of

family and friends. May there always be within this group a sense of mutual love, trust,

support, and respect.

May you be blessed with health.

May life bestow upon you wholeness of mind, body and spirit.

May you live long that you may share many happy years together.

***********

Happiness in Marriage

Happiness in marriage is not something that just happens. A good marriage must be

created. In the art of marriage, the little things are big things....

It is never being too old to hold hands,

It is remembering to say "I love you" at least once a day.

It is never going to sleep angry,

It is at no time taking the other for granted; the courtship shouldn't end with the honeymoon, it

should continue through all the years.

It is having a mutual sense of values and common objectives; it is standing together to face

the world.

It is forming a circle of love that gathers in the whole family

It is doing things for each other, not in the attitude of duty or sacrifice, but in the spirit of joy.

It is speaking words of appreciation and demonstrating gratitude in thoughtful ways.

It is not expecting the husband to wear the halo and the wife to have wings. It is not looking

for perfection in each other.

It is cultivating flexibility, patience, understanding and a sense of humour.

It is having the capacity to forgive and forget.

It is in giving each other an atmosphere in which each can grow.

It is finding room for things of the spirit.

It is a common search for the good and the beautiful. It is in establishing a relationship in

which the independence is equal, the dependence is mutual and the obligation is reciprocal.

It is not only marrying the right partner, it is being the right partner.

*******

Cherokee Prayer

Oh Great Spirit whose voice I hear in the wind, whose breath gives life to all the world. Hear

me; I need our strength and wisdom. Let me walk in beauty, and make my eyes ever behold

the red and purple sunset. Make my hands respect the things you have made and my ears

sharp to hear your voice, Make me wise so that I may understand the things you have taught

my people. Help me to remain calm and strong in the face of all that comes toward me. Let

me learn the lessons you have hidden in every leaf and rock. Help me seek pure thoughts

and act with the intention of helping others. Help me find compassion without empathy

overwhelming me. I seek strength no to be greater than my brother, but to fight my greatest

enemy, myself. Make me always ready to come to you with clean hands and straight eyes. So

when life fades, as the fading sunset, my spirit may come to you without shame.

******

Prayer of St. Francis

Lord, make us instruments of your peace.

Where there is hatred, let us sow love;

Where there is injury, pardon;

Where there is doubt, faith;

Where there is desire, hope;

Where there is darkness, light;

Where there is sadness, joy

O'Divine Master, Grant that we may not so much seek to be

consoled as to console,

To be understood as to understand,

To be loved as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive;

It is in pardoning that we are pardoned; And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

******

It is remembering to say "I love you" at least once a day.

It is never going to sleep angry,

It is at no time taking the other for granted; the courtship shouldn't end with the honeymoon, it

should continue through all the years.

It is having a mutual sense of values and common objectives; it is standing together to face

the world.

It is forming a circle of love that gathers in the whole family

It is doing things for each other, not in the attitude of duty or sacrifice, but in the spirit of joy.

It is speaking words of appreciation and demonstrating gratitude in thoughtful ways.

It is not expecting the husband to wear the halo and the wife to have wings. It is not looking

for perfection in each other.

It is cultivating flexibility, patience, understanding and a sense of humor.

It is having the capacity to forgive and forget.

It is in giving each other an atmosphere in which each can grow.

It is finding room for things of the spirit.

It is a common search for the good and the beautiful. It is in establishing a relationship in

which the independence is equal, the dependence is mutual and the obligation is reciprocal.

It is not only marrying the right partner, it is being the right partner.

The Greatest Gift

"The greatest gift that you could ever give to another is your own happiness, for when you are

in a state of joy, happiness, or appreciation, you are fully connected to the Stream of pure,

positive Source Energy that is truly who you are. And when you are in that state of connection,

anything or anyone that you are holding as your object of attention benefits from your

attention.

No one else needs you to be or do things for them in order for them to be fulfilled-for all of

them have the same access to the Stream of Well-Being that you do. Often, others (who do

not understand that they have access to the Stream) suffer in their inability to hold

themselves in a place of feeling good, and ask you to behave in a way that they believe will

make them feel better. But not only do they hold you in a place of discomfort as they try to

make you responsible for their joy, they hold themselves in a place of bondage as well. For

they cannot control the way any other behaves, and if that control is necessary for their

happiness, then they are truly in trouble.

Your happiness does not depend on what others do, but upon your own vibrational balance.

And the happiness of others does not depend on you, but only on their own vibrational

balance, own mix of Energies. The way you feel is simply, clearly and always the indicator of

the vibrational balance between your desires and your vibrational offering, which from your

vantage point, you have launched."

"There is no desire that anyone holds for any other reason than that they believe they will feel

better in the achievement of it. Whether it is a material object, a physical state of being, a

relationship, a condition, or a circumstance--at the heart of every desire is the desire to feel

good. And so, the standard of success in life is not the things or the money--the standard of

success is absolutely the amount of joy you feel.

The basis of life is freedom, and the result of life is expansion--but the purpose of your life is

joy."

*****

Alice Revell