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Blessing of the Rings

November 11, 2010

Blessing of the Rings 1

May these rings remind you that your love, like the sun, warms all that it touches, like the moon, brightens up the night, like the eye, is a gateway to your innermost soul.  And your love, like the arms that embrace you, makes everything right with the world.

Blessing of the Rings 2

May the vows and promises you have made today be as ever-present in your hearts as these rings are on your fingers.

Blessing of the Rings 3

May these wedding rings be a reminder to BRIDE and GROOM of the commitment they have made today and be as a testimony to all the world of their devotion in marriage.

Blessing of the Rings 4

Wear these rings as the enclosing bond of reverence and trust. Fulfill the circle of love that now makes you one.

Blessing of the Ring 5

May these rings henceforth be the chaste and changeless symbol of your evermore pure and unending affection.

Blessing of the Ring 6

May these rings be blessed as the symbol of this affectionate unity. These two lives are now joined in one unbroken circle. Wherever they go, may they always return to one another in their togetherness. May these two find in each other the love for which all men and women yearn. May they grow in understanding and in compassion. May the home, which they establish together, be such a place of sanctuary that many will find there a friend. May these rings, on their fingers, symbolize the touch of the spirit of love in the heart.

Parents Consent

November 11, 2010

Parent’s Consent 1

Who gives this woman to be married to this man?

Parent’s Consent 2

Who gives this man and woman to be married to each other?

Parent’s Consent 3

Our Lord Jesus Christ instructed us about marriage when he said in the Book of Mark, Chapter 10, “For from the very first He made man and woman to be joined together permanently in marriage; therefore a man is to leave his father and mother, and he and his wife are united so that they are no longer two, but one.” Within the spirit of this scripture, ___ and ___ would like to receive the blessing of their parents on this holy union.

Parents please rise. Do you give your blessing to this man and woman to be married to each other?
Parents say, “We do.”

Parent’s Consent 4

Being assured that your love and your choice of each other as lifelong companions is in God’s will and that you have your families’ blessings, I now ask: Who gives this woman to be married to this man?

Parent’s Consent 5

This wedding is also a celebration of family. It is the blending of two families that have been separate up to this moment, but united from this day forward – blending their different traditions, strengthening the family tree. To honor this uniting of the families, (Groom and Bride) wish to ask their parent’s blessing.

(To Bride’s Mom and Dad)
_______ and ______ do you offer this couple your goodwill? Do you welcome (groom) as a member of your family and give him your love and affection? PARENTS SAY: We do.

(To Groom’s Mom and Dad)
______ and ______, do you offer this couple your goodwill? Do you welcome (bride) as a member of your family and give her your love and affection? PARENTS SAY: We do.

Parent’s Consent 6

I’ve never met a father who was willing to give up his daughter, so instead I ask, do I have your blessing for this marriage?

Parent’s Consent 7

The relationship between children and their parents is one that’s often understated, yet very deep. And one of the rare occasions when it can be publicly acknowledged is at a wedding ceremony.

On this occasion, (parents) proudly stand here beside their daughter representing her family. And (groom’s parents) proudly stands beside their son representing his family. They are displaying, for all of us to see, their individual and combined love for BRIDE and GROOM.

Who brings this man and woman to be married to each other?

“We do.”

And are you all willing to sustain and strengthen this marriage by giving BRIDE and GROOM the public commitment of your love and support through all the ups and downs ahead of them?

“We are.”

Parent’s Consent 8

The marriage of BRIDE and GROOM brings together two different families; two unique story lines, so a new chapter in their lives can begin to unfold.

Though this relationship was formed out of the love these two have found in each other, their marriage will ultimately be blessed by the support of their families.

Who stands with this woman to symbolize her family’s support of this union?

“I do”—–”We do”—or —”Her mother and I do”

Who stands with this man to symbolize his family’s support of this union?

“I do”—-”We do”—or—”His mother and I do”

Parent’s Consent 9

The marriage of BRIDE and GROOM is more than just the union of two people in love.  It’s also the joining of two families, of two sets of friends and of two patterns of life.

Who stands with this woman in support and blessing of this marriage?

“I do” or “Her Mother and I do”

Who stands with this man in support and blessing of this marriage?

“I do” or “His Mother and I do”

As these two people join together in marriage, they ask for the support and love of not only their families, but of their friends as well.

On this day, they ask that you be more than only friends of BRIDE or only friends of GROOM.  They ask that you recognize their special union and welcome them both as your friends in your lives.

Parent’s Consent 10

A successful marriage is made up of two people, each putting the other before themselves and giving to that person 100% first, last, and always.

However, as BRIDE and GROOM’s journey unfolds there will be opportunities and challenges that will strain, and perhaps even weaken, them. They may move back and forth between the seasons of their love, sometimes strong as the autumn harvest time, and sometimes tender, tentative, and fragile as the springtime shoots that brave the frost. In those times they will need the support and caring of all of you who have come to celebrate this joyous union.

So in the joining of these two families, I ask all of you to take a vow in their presence and in the presence of each other.

Do you pledge to honor and support their marriage? Do you pledge to be neutral and support them equally?  And will you always be there for them and embrace them with the love of family and the joy of sharing your lives with them?

“We will.”

Bride and Groom Thank You

November 8, 2010

Bride and Groom stand now before those that they love and that love them. Those that have raised them, taught them, supported them and shaped them.

Most importantly, have given them not only the capacity to love, but to understand it and the desire to return it.

Because of that they are able to stand now across from each other – to take the limitless wealth that you have all given them in spirit, in time, in love – and return it.

Not just to themselves. not just to you.

But to the memory of those passed.

And to the hope for those yet to be.

Without everyone here today, no one is here today.

And for that, Bride and Groom both knowing that language often fails emotion, say, simply, “thank you.”

Preparation for the Rings

November 8, 2010

Prepares the bride and groom for the ring exchange.

Preparation for the Rings 1

The ring is an ancient symbol, so perfect and simple.  It has no beginning and has no end.  It is round like the sun, like the moon, like the eye, like arms that embrace.  It is a circle; for love that is given comes back round again.

Your rings are precious because you wear them with love.  They symbolize your commitment in marriage. They remind you of who you are, where you’ve been, and where you’re going.  As you wear them through time, they will reflect not only who you are as individuals, but also who you are a couple.

Preparation for the Rings 2

These rings are made of precious metals; purified by the heat of many fires.  They are a symbol of the wealth that resides inside each of you and the purity of your love for one another.

Preparation for the Rings 3

Though we have heard the vows, which have been shared by BRIDE and GROOM, words, once spoken, are carried away on the wind.  Therefore, the wedding ring is a visible symbol of the promises that have been made.

Preparation for the Rings 4

The circle has frequently been used to symbolize eternity.

The ring, like the circle, is a reminder of the perfection and endurance of BRIDE and GROOM’s commitment to and love for one another.

Preparation for the Rings 5

These rings represent the vows and promises you’ve willingly exchanged.  They reflect the commitment those words inspire and all your hopes and dreams for the future.

Preparation for the Rings 6

Let us now have the rings brought forward and presented by the ring-bearer.

Preparation for the Rings 7

May these rings symbolize your inherent wholeness and unity with one another, giving you the strength to happily honor your commitments to each other. May they remind you that marriage is not a destination but a journey, with no beginning and no end, just a moment to moment opportunity to love and be loved to the best of your ability.

Preparation for the Rings 8

Throughout human tradition, when you make a pledge, it has been deemed good to have a token to remind you of that pledge.  For this purpose you have chosen rings.

They are appropriate to the task because they are circles never ending, like the promises you make to each other today.  And they are made of precious metal, never to be tarnished, like the love you have expressed before me and these witnesses.  Please take these rings and honor each other in their giving.

Preparation for the Rings 9

A circle is the ancient symbol of wholeness and peace. It also represents the boundaries beyond which the special ness of a particular relationship does not extend. In the form of a ring the circle is the accepted token of a marriage covenant.

As these rings are fashioned from one of the earth’s most precious materials, so may your love, nourished and sustained by the love of God, be the most precious and durable of the values you share.

In giving and receiving these rings, you again acknowledge that your lives remain joined in one unbroken circle, wherever you go, you will always return to your shared life together.

Preparation for the Rings 10

The wedding ring is a symbol of married love, the precious metals show that your love is your most precious possession, and the unending circle symbolizes that your love may never cease.

Preparation for the Rings 11

Marriage is a state in which two people come together and create a union that is greater than the sum of its parts. It is difficult to express in words the profound relationship that is love.

Since the beginning of time, the ring has been an emblem of the sincerity and permanence of a couple’s love for one another and regard for their marriage.

As the circle can begin anew at any point, so a good marriage can pick any point to renew itself. These rings are symbols of your eternal love.

Preparation for the Rings 12

The ring is a symbol of the unbroken circle of love. Love freely given has no beginning and no end, no giver and no receiver for each is the giver and each is the receiver. May these rings always remind you of the vows you have taken.

Preparation for the Rings 13

I hold in my hand two beautiful rings, symbolic of a binding contract, to be given and received as bonds of never-ending love and devoted friendship, circles of life and circles of love. May these rings be blessed as the symbol of this affectionate unity.

Preparation for the Rings 14

Bless, O Lord, these rings to be signs of the vows by which this man and this woman have bound themselves to each other. Amen.

Preparation for the Rings 15

What token of your devotion do you offer your beloved?

Preparation for the Rings 16

May the Lord bless these rings which you give as your sign of love and devotion. Amen.

Preparation for the Rings 17

Now with these rings, symbolizing the continuous circle of unity and love with the marriage relationship, and ultimately symbolizing the unity and wholeness within the Self, ____ and ____ will finalize their vows.

Preparation for the Rings 18

From the earliest of times, the circle has been a symbol of completeness, a symbol of committed love. An unbroken and never-ending circle symbolized a commitment of love that is also never ending. As often as either of you looks at this symbol, I hope that you will be reminded of these commitments to one another, which you make today. May these rings be blessed by God as the changeless symbol of this affectionate unity.

Preparation for the Rings 19

The giving and receiving of rings is the most important part of a marriage ceremony, because the rings are made in the symbol of that which is eternal. There is no beginning and no end, and as you place these symbols on each other’s finger, it signifies that there shall be no end to your marriage, and no end to the happiness that you will both share together. But let me remind you that these are also the special symbols you will wear before the world, certainly when you go back to your family, and friends, and co-workers. In fact, you will notice the response when you walk away from this beautiful place tonight. For when people look at you, they will look at your hand and notice the ring on your finger. They will know that you belong to someone special and that someone special belongs to you. Everyday for the rest of your lives, every time you wash your hands or reach out to touch each other, these rings will be there to remind you of the great love that you share and of the wonder that the person standing in front of you loves you as much as you love them. So when you place these rings upon each other’s fingers, wear them with love and with honor.

Preparation for the Rings 20

Wedding rings are an outward and visible sign of an inward spiritual grace and the unbroken circle of love, signifying to all the union of this man and this woman in marriage.

Preparation for the Rings 21

These rings mark a new beginning in your journey together, filled with wonder, surprise, laughter, tears, celebration, grief and joy.

Let us pray: Bless, O god, the giving of these rings, that they who wear them may live in your peace and realized potential. Amen.

Preparation for the Rings 22

The wedding ring is justly regarded as a fitting emblem of the purity and perpetuity of marriage. It is symbolic of the circle of eternity, as it is so fashioned as to have neither beginning nor end; while gold is so incorruptible that it cannot be tarnished by use or by time. So may this marriage, at this time celebrated, be incorruptible in its purity and more lasting than time itself.

Preparation for the Rings 23

The ring is an ancient symbol, perfect and simple. It has no beginning and has no end. It is round like the sun, like the moon, like the eye, like arms that embrace. It is a circle: for love that is given comes back round again.

Your rings are precious because you wear them with love. They symbolize your commitment in marriage. They remind you of who you are, where you’ve been, and where you’re going. As you wear them through time, they will reflect not only who you are as individuals, but also who you are as a couple.

Preparation for the Rings 24

And so we come Bride and Groom, to the presentation of rings by which you symbolize and bind your love.

The circle has long been a symbol of spirit and the power of God. The sky and the earth are round. The wind in its greatest power whirls. The sun and moon, both round, come forth and go down again in a circle. Even the seasons form a great circle in their changing and always come back again to where they were. Without beginning or end and with no point of weakness, the circle is a reminder of the eternal quality of God and of unending strength. Let the seamless circle of these rings become the symbol of your endless love and unending faithfulness. Your wedding rings are most special because they say that even in your uniqueness you have chosen to be bonded, to allow the presence of another human being to enhance who you are. Your rings carry a potent double message: We are individuals and yet we belong; we are not alone. As you wear them through time, they will reflect not only who you are but also the glorious union that you are now creating.

God, bless these rings and the two who exchange them. Fill them with your Holy Presence. Keep them safe in the circle of Your protection and love.

Ring Warming 25

Having this love in their hearts for each other BRIDE and GROOM have chosen to exchange rings as a symbol of their vows. The wedding rings are the most visible sign of the bond these two people are about to make. A commitment to life, to each other and to the future.

What I now ask BRIDE and GROOM’s families to do is to warm these rings by passing them down the row. As you hold them in your hands, pause for a moment, and make your wishes for the couple and for their future before you pass them on to the next person.

These rings will not only be a gift from one to another but will be given with the love, support and wisdom of their family and friends.

Ring Warming 26

Before BRIDE and GROOM say their vows and exchange rings, they have asked that the
 people before them participate in the “warming of the rings.” If
 you are unfamiliar with this ceremony, take the opportunity to wish 
them health, happiness, and all that is noble and good in life when 
the rings pass to your care. Hold them for but a moment and warm them 
with your love, making a silent wish for the future this couple will
 share. When returned, these rings will contain in their precious
 metals that which is all the more precious–your love and pledge of 
support for their union.

Ring Warming

September 8, 2010

Ring Warming 1

Having this love in their hearts for each other BRIDE and GROOM have chosen to exchange rings as a symbol of their vows. The wedding rings are the most visible sign of the bond these two people are about to make. A commitment to life, to each other and to the future.

What I now ask BRIDE and GROOM’s families to do is to warm these rings by passing them down the row. As you hold them in your hands, pause for a moment, and make your wishes for the couple and for their future before you pass them on to the next person.

These rings will not only be a gift from one to another but will be given with the love, support and wisdom of their family and friends.

Ring Warming 2

Before BRIDE and GROOM say their vows and exchange rings, they have asked that the
 people before them participate in the “warming of the rings.” If
 you are unfamiliar with this ceremony, take the opportunity to wish 
them health, happiness, and all that is noble and good in life when 
the rings pass to your care. Hold them for but a moment and warm them 
with your love, making a silent wish for the future this couple will
 share. When returned, these rings will contain in their precious
 metals that which is all the more precious–your love and pledge of 
support for their union.

Seven Blessings

June 3, 2010

Seven Blessings 1

LOVE
Both light and shadow
Are the dance of Love.
Love has no cause;
Lover and Loving are inseparable
And timeless.

Every moment is made glorious
By the light of Love.

-Reconstruction of “The Meaning of Love” by Rumi

COMMUNITY
A human being is a part of a whole, called by us “the universe”, a part limited in time and space. We experience ourselves, our thoughts and feelings as something separated from our fellow men and women… a delusion of our consciousness. Our task must be to free ourselves from this delusion by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.

-Reconstruction of a quote by Albert Einstein

PEACE
Peace is the beauty of life. It is sunshine. It is the smile of a child, the love of a mother, the joy of a father, the togetherness of a family. It is the advancement of man, the victory of a just cause, the triumph of truth. Peace is the generous, tranquil contribution of all to the good of all. Peace is all of these and more.

-Menachem Begin and Oscar Romero

JOY
The sharing of joy, whether physical, emotional, psychic, or intellectual, forms a bridge between us and others which can be the basis for understanding much of what we do not share, and lessens the threat of our differences. We must discover the joy of each other, the joy of challenge, the joy of growth, and above all, the joy of Love.

-Reconstruction of quotes by Mitsugi Saotome and Audre Lorde

FRIENDSHIP
Your friend is your needs answered.
He is your field which you sow with love and reap with thanksgiving.
Let your best be for your friend.
Seek him always with hours to live,
For it is his to fill your need, but not your emptiness.
Let there be no purpose in friendship save the deepening of the spirit.
And in the sweetness of friendship let there be laughter, and sharing of pleasures,
For in the dew of little things the heart finds its morning and is refreshed.

-Reconstruction of Friendship IXX by Khalil Gibran

ABUNDANCE
This marriage be wine and halvah, honey dissolving
In milk
This marriage be the leaves and fruit of the date tree
This marriage be women laughing together for days
On end
This marriage, beauty
This marriage, a moon in light blue sky
This marriage, this silence fully mixed with spirit.

-Rumi

CREATION
O our Mother the Earth,
O our Father the Sky.
Weave our bright blanket of life;

May the warp be the white light of morning,
May the weft be the red light of evening,
May the fringes be the falling rain,
May the border be the standing rainbow.

Thus weave for us our bright blanket of life,
That we may walk fittingly where birds sing,
That we may walk fittingly where the grass is green.

-Native American Poem

Seven Blessings 2

We bless God for creating the universe.
We bless God for creating the individual.
We bless God for creating human beings who are one at their core and who complement each other by their differences as woman and man.
We ask that our land be happy and bless God for letting Zion rejoice with her children.
Let these loving friends rejoice. May their joy be paradise on earth. We bless God for enabling this bride and this groom to rejoice.
We bless God for creating joy and happiness, bride and groom, mirth song, gladness and rejoicing, love and harmony, peace and companionship; and we thank God for letting this bride and groom to rejoice together.

Readings, Poems

May 12, 2010

Reading 1

Happiness in marriage is not something that just happens.

• A good marriage must be created.
• In marriage the “little” things are the 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 standing together and facing the world.
• It is speaking words of appreciation, and demonstrating gratitude in thoughtful ways.
• It is having the capacity to forgive and forget.
• It is giving each other an atmosphere in which each can grow.
• It is a common search for the good and the beautiful.
• It is not only marrying the right person — it is being the right partner

Reading 2

BRIDE and GROOM, this celebration is the outward token of your sacred and inward union of hearts. It is a union created by your loving purpose and kept by your abiding will. It is in this spirit and for this purpose that you have come here to be joined together.

Reading 3

I asked you to join hands as a symbol of the union that you are making here today.

I’d like you to think about the hands that you are holding.

These are the hands of your best friend

Holding your hands on your wedding day

Promising to love you and to work together as you build your future together.

These are the hands that will give you Strength when you need strength

Tenderness when you need tenderness

And love when you need love.

These are the hands that will countless times wipe the tears from your eyes

Tears of sorrow

But also tears of joy.

These are the hands that will hold all those whom you love.

These are the hands that years from now will still be searching for your hands,

Still seeking the love, encouragement and support That each of you seeks from the other.

Reading 4

Bride and Groom, Please face each other and take each other’s hands, so that you may see the gift that they are to you.

These are the hands of your best friend, young and strong and full of love for you, that are holding yours on your wedding day as you promise to love each other today, tomorrow and forever.

These are the hands that will work along side yours as together you build your future.

These are the hands that will passionately love you and cherish you through the years, and with the slightest touch will comfort you like no other.

These are the hands that will hold you when fear or grief temporarily comes your way.

These are the hands that will countless times wipe the tears from your eyes, tears of sorrow and tears of joy.

These are the hands that will tenderly hold your children.These are the hands that will give you support and encouragement to chase down your dreams.

These are the hands that will hold you tight as you struggle through difficult times.

These are the hands that will give you strength when you need it.

These are the hands that will lift your chin and brush your cheek as they raise your face to look into eyes that are filled with overwhelming love for you.

And lastly, these are the hands that even when wrinkled and aged will still be reaching for yours, still giving you the same unspoken tenderness with just a touch.

Reading 5

So, as important as this ceremony is, the foundation of your marriage was formed long before we ever came here today, and that is the love that you share.

Love is gentleness

Love is kindness

Love understands and love forgives.

It is loyal through good and bad

Love hopes for the future

Love is everlasting.

Love makes up for things that you may not have.

Without love, no matter what you do have it is never enough.

So, search for love.

Share your love.

But most of all, Enjoy your love.

Reading 6

Most would agree that it is love that keeps people together when they’re confronted with that immense sky, with those infinite distances that separate even the closest of men and women. But what kind of love? Poets, priests and philosophers, and no small number of cabbies, barbers and bartenders have debated this question. We speak of spiritual love, passionate love, love eternal… but the phrase that may capture the reality of this emotion best is “stirring the oatmeal” love. When you’re willing to stand in your bathrobe on a cold kitchen floor at 5:00 AM, and stir the oatmeal so your spouse can have a little more sleep—and not even think twice about why you’re doing it—then you have a love that can last a lifetime.

As Carl Jung once wrote, “feeling is a matter of the small.” Such simple, pragmatic experiences are the best places for love to take root. In such ground, love blossoms over time, becoming deeper, more beautiful, and more profound. Love so deep, intimacy so profound, cannot help but suggest transcendence, a shifting of human experience into the realm of the spiritual. This is what makes marriage a unique milestone in any relationship.

BRIDE and GROOM  have been together for ______ years. They seem as close as any two people can be. Yet they felt the need for something more: a rite of passage. We define marriage as a sacrament, something that is itself defined as “a rite ordained as an outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace.” An outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace. That is why we are here: to witness this visible sign. These words, these actions—they are the manifestation of that inward grace. In this way, a marriage is like a mirror. It lets us look into depths that cannot be seen directly, and reflects the spirit of the two being joined as one.

Reading 7

Your marriage is the coming together of your two souls for the purpose of manifesting your hearts’ desires and the truth of your being with one another. Marriage will bring to you all of the unlimited possibilities of consciously choosing to become all that you desire, giving you the opportunity to become your highest vision of your Self.

This path is not only incredibly challenging but very rewarding as well; it brings to each of you the choices that you want to have for your own growth as well as the wonderful moments of diving blessing that you yearn for in your lives.

Marriage is a path of divine humanness. It takes great courage and commitment to continue a conscious and loving union with one other. Through your commitment, the breath of human experience will be born, from the highest of highs to the lowest of lows.

This level of commitment to yourself and each other will open the door to receiving all that you desire, from the conscious to the unconscious. The very act of joining with each other will increase your potential for self knowledge, joy, fulfillment, peace, and growth a hundred fold because until you have fully committed to each other, the well spring of God’s gifts have only a small river in which to flow through you.

Marriage is the union of your souls, a divine process that your essence longs to experience. It is your nature, and the truth of who you are. By committing to each other, you commit to life more intimately.

You no longer have the luxury of leaving when the going gets tough and the ugliness comes to the surface. Your lifelong commitment brings to you an opportunity for joy that would be unparalleled for each of you alone. The joys are that much stronger and the happiness that much richer. The wisdom is deeper and more developed, and the journey itself fuller and more beautiful.

The path of true marriage is not for the meek. It requires courage and strength, as well as an open mind and a heart filled with hope and joy. Through the mirror of each other, marriageteaches you compassion, understanding, trust, commitment, love, gentleness, and patience. Within your marriage, all things are possible; all dreams, goals, and visions are possible within your Holy Union.

Marriage denies you nothing, and only gives to you that which you truly desire. Your marriage is the coming together of friends into Union. It requires you to soften, enjoying the special qualities of your present moments. It can bring you comfort in times of need, solace when you despair, and safety when you are afraid.

A lifelong, loving marriage brings to you more peace than a life filled with quietude and solitary meditation. It takes the peace of your connection with God into your relationship and into all that you say, think, and do. Because you have prayed for every gift available to you, your marriage leaves no stone unturned, enriching your lives beyond your wildest dreams, and making you greater than you ever imagined.

Reading 8

Romance is fun, but true love is something far more and it is their desire to love each other for life and that is what we are celebrating here today.

• A good marriage must be created.
• In marriage the “little” things are the 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 standing together and facing the world.
• It is speaking words of appreciation, and demonstrating gratitude in thoughtful ways.
• It is having the capacity to forgive and forget.
• It is giving each other an atmosphere in which each can grow.
• It is a common search for the good and the beautiful.
• It is not only marrying the right person — it is being the right partner

Reading 9

To make this relationship work, therefore, takes more than love.

It takes trust, to know in your hearts that you want only the best for each other.

It takes dedication, to stay open to one another, to learn and grow, even when it is difficult to do so.

And it takes faith, to go forward together without knowing what the future holds for you both.

While love is our natural state of being, these other qualities are not as easy to come by.

They are not a destination, but a journey.

The true art of married life is an inner spiritual journey.

It is a mutual enrichment, a give and take between two personalities, a mingling of two endowments, which diminishes neither, but enhances both.

So it is on this Summer eve, let us rejoice yet know that we are here not just to observe but also to participate in this marriage ceremony.

May we all remember that the path of love is meant to be walked together with God and with all of humanity.

No persons in a love relationship can have meaning apart from their family, their friends and their community.

Reading 10

A Little Something

Love is the greatest gift that we can offer to one another.

That is what makes marriage so very special, and a cause for joy and celebration for all of us who have come here today to share in this event.

It is my personal hope and prayer that those of you who have already taken the vows of marriage will witness the love of these two people, and as you listen to them share their vows, perhaps it will strengthen for you the memory of your happy day, and remind you of the meaning of the vows you yourselves once took.

Perhaps it will even strengthen just a little bit the bond of love that has been growing between you, and if any of this should happen, it would certainly be the greatest gift that BRIDE and GROOM could offer all of us on their wedding day.

Reading 11

Love is always Patient and kind It is never jealous Love is never boastful Nor conceited It is never rude or selfish It doesn’t take offense It is not resentful Love takes no pleasure In other people’s sins But, delights in the truth It is always ready to excuse, To trust, to hope And to endure whatever comes

Reading 12

by Eric Fromm
Love is not simply a relationship to a specific person; It is an attitude; an orientation of character, which determines the relatedness of a person to the world as a whole, not toward one “object” of love. If a person loves only one other person and is indifferent to the rest of his fellow person, this love is not love but a selfish attachment, or an enlarged egotism. If you truly love one person, you love all persons, you love the world, you love life. If you can say to somebody else, “I love you” you must be able to say, “I love through you the world, I love in you also myself.

Reading 13

by Carl Sandburg
I love you for what you are, but I love you yet more for what you are going to be. I love you not so much for your realities as for your ideals. I pray for your desires that they may be great, rather than for your satisfactions, which may be so hazardously little. A satisfied flower is one whose petals are about to fall. The most beautiful rose is one hardly more than a bud wherein the pangs and ecstasies of desires are working for larger and finer growth. Not always shall you be what you are now. You are going forward toward something great. I am on the way with you and therefore I love you.

Reading 14

Author Unknown
Love me because I try to touch life within the framework of uncertainty. Love in me the shadows of my indecision as I strive to gain knowledge. Love in me the silence of my hurts and the noise of my confusions. Love me for the feeling of my heart not the fears of my mind. Love me in my search for the truth though I may stumble upon fallacy. Love me as I pursue my dreams sometimes retarded by illusions. Love me as I grow to know myself even during the times of stagnation. Love me because I seek God’s harmony not man’s discord. Love me for my body that I wish to share with affection, wrapping you in warmth. Love me because we are different as we are the same. Love me that our time together will be spent in growing, kindling the world with understanding. Love me not with expectations but with hope. I will love you the same.

Reading 15

A Touch of Heart
There was a time … a moment I felt all alone but then the sun shined upon me bearing gifts of love, friendship and harmony Everlasting love shared and expressed through you to me. The prayers, the cares, the gestures brought forth to me heal my soul For at times I’d only known to give but failed to accept and receive with grace. I’m not alone now for your warmth overwhelms me your spirit fills my sour, and I am ALIVE with your love.

Reading 16

From The Gift Of The Sea By Anne Morrow Lindbergh
When you love someone, you do not love them all the time, in exactly the same way, from moment to moment. It is an impossibility. It is even a lie to pretend to. And yet this is exactly what most of us demand. We have so little faith in the ebb and flow of the tide and resist in terror its ebb. We are afraid it will never return. We insist on permanency, on duration, on continuity; when the only continuity possible, in life as in love, is in growth, in fluidity — in freedom in the sense that dancers are free barely touching as they pass, but partners in the same pattern. The only real security is not in owning or possessing, not in demanding or expecting, not in hoping, even. Security in a relationship lies neither in looking back to what it was in nostalgia, nor forward to what it might be in dread or anticipation but in living in the present relationship and accepting it as it is now. Relationships must be like islands; one must accept them for what they are here and now, within their limits … islands, surrounded and interrupted by the sea, and continually visited and abandoned by the tides.

Reading 17

On Marriage, By Edmund O’Neill
Marriage is a commitment to life – to the best that two people can find and bring out in each other. It offers opportunities for sharing and growth that no other human relationship can equal, a 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. 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 love through the seasons of life. When two people pledge to love and care for each other in marriage they create a spirit unique to 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, which takes a lifetime to fulfill.

Reading 18

Blessing For A Marriage, By James Dillet Freeman
May your marriage bring you all the exquisite excitements a marriage should bring, and may life grant you also patience, tolerance, and understanding. May you always need one another – not so much to fill your emptiness as to help you to know your fullness. A mountain needs a valley to be complete; the valley does not make the mountain less, but more; and the valley is more a valley because it has a mountain towering over it. So let it be with you and you. May you need one another, but not out of weakness. May you want one another, but not out of lack. May you entice one another, but not compel one another. May you embrace one another, but not out encircle one another. May you succeed in all important ways with one another, and not fail in the little graces. May you look for things to praise, often say, “I love you!” and take no notice of small faults. If you have quarrels that push you apart, may both of you hope to have good sense enough to take the first step back. May you enter into the mystery which is the awareness of one another’s presence – no more physical than spiritual, warm and near when you are side by side, and warm and near when you are in separate rooms or even distant cities. May you have happiness, and may you find it making one another happy. May you have love, and may you find it loving one another!

Reading 19

The Art Of A Good Marriage, By Wilferd Arlan Peterson
Happiness in marriage is not something that just happens. A good marriage must be created. In marriage the little things are the 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 should not 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 facing 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 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 giving each other an atmosphere in which each can grow. It is a common search for the good and the beautiful. It is establishing a relationship in which the independence is equal, dependence is mutual and the obligation is reciprocal. It is not only marrying the right partner, it is being the right partner.

Reading 20

The One, By Bernie Taupin
I saw you dancing out on the ocean Running fast along the sand A spirit born of earth and water Fire flying from your hands In the instant that you love someone In the second that the hammer hits Reality runs up your spine And the pieces finally fit All I ever needed was the one Like freedom feels where wild horses run When stars collide like you and I No shadows block the sun You are all I have ever needed Baby, you’re the one

Reading 21

Thoughts In a Garden, By R. Gerhardt
This is a special place, a place where people have brought beautiful living plants, here to establish them, to nurture and care for them, that they may forever surround us with the beauty we now see. And into this place where we stand, you have brought something beautiful — the relationship that is becoming your marriage. Here you are declaring it and pledging it, promising to establish and nurture it. We are aware of the special beauty between the two of you, just as we are aware of the special beauty of this place. We are with you now in this appropriate place to celebrate your relationship as it is and as it is yet to be, and in doing so, we ask only that you remember how your life together will have the same seasons and needs as this garden. There will be growth like spring and loss like fall; there will be giving as the blossoming flower, and rest as the seed beneath the snow. All the seasons will be yours, but remember, too, that gardens are not must happenings. The more wonderful the garden, the more skilled the gardener. So you will have to care deeply for the life that is yours together, and nurture it. You will have to appreciate your differences and cultivate them. You will have to take care of yourself, if for no other reason than out of love for the other. And you will need the support of family and friends to reach full growth. As you caringly chose this place to declare your marriage, so remember its lessons for your life together through the seasons that are yours to share. And may those seasons bring you and yours joy and happiness.

Reading 22

The Covenant of Marriage
Marriage has certain qualities of contract, in which two people take on the housekeeping tasks of living, together, to enhance life’s joy. However, marriage is more than a contract. Marriage is a commitment to take that joy deep, deeper than happiness, deep into the discovery of who you most truly are. It is a commitment to a spiritual journey, to a life of becoming — in which joy can comprehend despair, running through rivers of pain into joy again. And thus marriage is even deeper than commitment. It is a covenant — a covenant that says: I love you. I trust you. I will be here for you when you are hurting, And when I am hurting I will not leave. It is a covenant intended not to provide haven from pain or anger and sorrow. Life offers no such haven. Instead, marriage is intended to provide a sanctuary safe enough to risk loving, to risk living and sharing from the center of oneself. This is worth everything.

Reading 23

The Key To Love
The key to love is understanding…
The ability to comprehend not only the spoken word,
but those unspoken gestures,
the little things that say so much by themselves.

The key to love is forgiveness…
to accept each others faults and pardon mistakes,
without forgetting, but with remembering
what you learn from them.

The key to love is sharing…
Facing your good fortunes as well as the bad, together;
both conquering problems, forever searching for ways
to intensify your happiness.

The key to love is giving…
without thought of return,
but with the hope of just a simple smile,
and by giving in but never giving up.

The key to love is respect…
realizing that you are two separate people,
with different ideas;
that you don’t belong to each other,
that you belong with each other,
and share a mutual bond.

The key to love is inside us all…
It takes time and patience to unlock all the ingredients that will take you to its threshold;
it is the continual learning process that demands a lot of work…
but the rewards are more than worth the effort…
and that is the key to love.

Reading 24

1 Corinthians 13
If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.
And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.
If I give away all I have, and if I deliver my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.
Love is patient and kind; love is not jealous or boastful;
it is not arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on its own way;
it is not irritable or resentful;
it does not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices in the right.
Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Love never ends; as for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away.
For our knowledge is imperfect and our prophecy is imperfect;
but when the perfect comes, the imperfect will pass away.
When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; when I became a man, I gave up childish ways.
For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face.
Now I know in part; then I shall understand fully, even as I have been fully understood.
So faith, hope, love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

Reading 25

Psalm 1 (often used in Jewish or interfaith weddings)
Blessed are the man and the woman who have grown beyond themselves and have seen through their separations. They delight in the way things are and keep their hearts open, day and night. They are like trees planted near flowing rivers, which bear fruit when they are ready. Their leaves will not fall or wither. Everything they do will succeed.

Reading 26

On Friendship by Roy Croft
I love you, not for what you are, but what I am, when I am with you. I love you not only for what you have made of yourself, but what you are making of me. I love you for the part of me that you bring out.

I love you for putting your hand into my heaped up heart and passing over all the frivolous and weak things that you cannot help seeing there, and for drawing out into the light all the beautiful and radiant things that no one else has looked quite far enough to find…

I love you because you have done more than any creed could have done to make me good, and more than any fate could have done to make me happy.

You have done it without a touch, without a word, without a sign. You have done it by being yourself. Perhaps that is what being a friend means after all.

Reading 27

What is Love? by Susan Polis Schutz
Love Love is the strongest feeling known an all -encompassing passion an extreme strength an overwhelming excitementLove is trying not to hurt the other person trying not to change the other person trying not to dominate the other person trying not to deceive the other person
Love is understanding each other listening to each other supporting each other having fun with each other.
Love is not an excuse to stop growing not an excuse to stop making yourself better not an excuse to lessen one’s goals not an excuse to take the other person for granted
Love is being completely honest with each other finding dreams to share working towards common goals sharing responsibilities equally
Everyone in the world wants to love Love is not a feeling to be taken lightly Love is a feeling to be cherished, nurtured and cared for Love is the reason for life

Reading 28

From This Day Forward
From this day forward, let us laugh together, and plan together, let us find our favorite places, and go together…
Let us enjoy the sunshine, and the rain, being alone together, and in crowds together…
From this day forward, together, Let us love! Let Us Walk Together

Let us walk together yet not as one, but such that our shadows are separate and distinct, such that our souls are unbound and free.

Let us share our time, yet do not give all your time, nor take all of mine for in order to develop to the fullest, to be free, we must have solitude and individuality.

Let me wander in solitude, when I need to be alone, yet be near, when I need you. Let us share our love. Give freely of your love, but do not smother me, my soul must breathe a free air. Take my love, but do not demand it, for love given of obligation, is stale and without life. Let us share our lives.

Share my life, but do not try to shape it. Let me share your life, but do not let it revolve around me. Let us share ourselves. Accept me as I am, do not attempt to change me to fit your dreams.

Respect me for what I am, not for what I was or one day may be. Share yourself with me, but do not allow me to limit your freedom or bind your soul. Let us share our minds, thoughts, goals, values and dreams. Let us develop these within ourselves without restriction or loss of freedom

Thus our two free souls, may wander together as they develop in freedom. As we share our lives, as we walk through life together, know my love is yours, but not my soul for it must be free.

Reading 29

From ‘Letters to a Young Poet’ Rainer Maria Rilke
For one human being to love another human being: that is perhaps the most difficult task that has been entrusted to us, the ultimate task, the final test and proof, the work for which all other work is merely preparation. Loving does not at first mean merging, surrendering, and uniting with another person – it is a high inducement for the individual to ripen, to become something in himself, to become world, to become world in himself for the sake of another person; it is a great, demanding claim on him, something that chose him and calls him to vast distances.

Reading 30

From To Know Yourself by Swami Satchidananda
A wedding is between two reflections of God. Two pairs of eyes see one vision. They are dedicated to serve one another and the humanity at large. Two minds come together to help each other realize their true nature. Going side by side with the right partner is a good way to reach God quickly. When the husband’s and the wife’s love for each other blends together and becomes love of God, marriage is a divine institution.

Reading 31

The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran.
And what of Marriage, master?
And he answered saying: You were born together, and together you shall be forevermore. You shall be together when the white wings of death scatter your days. Ay, you shall be together even in the silent memory of God. But let there be spaces in your togetherness, And let the winds of the heavens dance between you.

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

Fill each other’s cup but drink not from one cup. Give one another of your bread but eat not from the same loaf. Sing and Dance together and be joyous, but each one of you be alone.

Even as the strings of a lute are alone though they quiver with the same music.
Give your hearts, but not into each other’s keeping. For only the hand of Life can contain your hearts. And stand together yet not too near together: For the pillars of the temple stand apart, And the oak tree and the cypress grow
not in each other’s shadow.

Reading 32

Navajo Prayer
When you were children, you talked like children, But now that you’ve grown, you should be done with childish things and put them away. When you were children, you looked into a mirror that gave only a blurred reflection of reality. But with love and maturity, you shouldn’t be afraid to look into that mirror and see each other face to face. Be swift like the wind in loving each other. Be brave like the sea in loving each other. Be gentle like the breeze in loving each other. Be patient like the sun who waits and watches the four changes of the earth in loving each other. Be wise like the roaring of the thunder clouds and lightning in loving each other. Be shining like the morning dawn in loving each other. Be proud like the tree who stands without bending in loving each other. Be brilliant like the rainbow colors in loving each other. Now, forever, forever, there will be no more loneliness because your worlds are joined together with the world. Forever, forever.

Reading 33

Anne Morrow Lindburgh
When you love someone you do not love them all the time, in exactly the same way, from moment to moment. It is an impossibility. The only continuity possible, in life as in love, is in growth, in fluidity, in freedom, in the sense that dancers are free, barely touching as they pass, but partners in the same pattern.

The only real security is not in owning or possessing, not in demanding or expecting, not in hoping even. Security in a relationship lies neither in looking back to what was in nostalgia, nor forward to what might be in dread or anticipation, but living in the present relationship and accepting it as it is now. One must accept the security of the winged life, of ebb and flow, of intermittency.

Reading 34

Blessing For A Marriage by James Dillet Freeman
May your marriage bring you all the exquisite excitements a marriage should bring, and may life grant you also patience, tolerance, and understanding. May you always need one another – not so much to fill your emptiness as to help you to know your fullness. A mountain needs a valley to be complete; the valley does not make the mountain less, but more; and the valley is more a valley because it has a mountain towering over it. So let it be with you and you.

May you need one another, but not out of weakness. May you want one another, but not out of lack. May you entice one another, but not compel one another. May you embrace one another, but not out encircle one another. May you succeed in all important ways with one another, and not fail in the little graces. May you look for things to praise, often say, “I love you!” and take no notice of small faults.

If you have quarrels that push you apart, may both of you hope to have good sense enough to take the first step back. May you enter into the mystery, which is the awareness of one another’s presence – no more physical than spiritual, warm and near when you are side-by-side, and warm and near when you are in separate rooms or even distant cities.
May you have happiness, and may you find it making one another happy. May you have love, and may you find it loving one another.

Reading 35

Excerpt from The Bridge Across Forever by Richard Bach
A soul mate 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 soul mate 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 soul mate is the one who makes life come to life.

Reading 36

Marriage Joins Two People In The Circle Of Its Love by Edmund O’Neill
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.

Reading 37

On Love by Thomas Kempis
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 were nothing, and renders all bitterness sweet and acceptable.

Nothing is sweeter than love, Nothing stronger, Nothing higher, Nothing wider,
Nothing more pleasant, Nothing fuller or better in heaven or earth; for love is born of God.
Love flies, runs and leaps for joy. It is free and unrestrained. Love knows no limits, but ardently transcends all bounds. Love feels no burden, takes no account of toil, attempts things beyond its strength.

Love sees nothing as impossible, for it feels able to achieve all things. It is strange and effective, while those who lack love faint and fail.
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.

Reading 38

What Is Love? -Author Unknown
Sooner or later we begin to understand that love is more than verses on valentines and
romance in the movies. We begin to know that love is here and now, real and true, the most important thing in our lives. For love is the creator of our favorite memories and the foundation of our fondest dreams. Love is a promise that is always kept, a fortune that
can never be spent, a seed that can flourish in even the most unlikely of places. And this radiance that never fades, this mysterious and magical joy, is the greatest treasure of all – one known only by those who love.

Reading 39

True Love – Author Unknown
True love 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.

Reading 40

Our community is shared, if in a different way, by those who have passed beyond this life. Their roles in the lives of _____ and _____ are no less remembered and honored as we savor today’s joyous moments. Join with us, then, in remembering and honoring all these people, and in particular ______. In their memory, let us pray silently together for just a moment.

Reading 41

_____, today as you look into _____’s eyes know and feel that your father is standing here beside you. Know how deeply he loves you. Know his pride in you and let his blessing for your wedding day be known in your heart. All those here who knew him feel his presence, and his never ending love for you and your mother is what made you the woman _____ fell in love with. He was there the day you were born and he is here the day you marry your prince. His wish and prayer is that you be truly happy, and smiling all the days of your life. Let us all honor his wish today and begin….

Reading 42

Mystic Flames
Constance, the empress of Rome, remarked that when St. Francis and St. Clara were in each other’s company, the spark between them glowed so bright that the convent and surrounding wood appear to be on fire. So bright that the folk of Assisi rushed to quench the flames.
“How I envy the folk of Assisi who saw those mystic flames,” Empress Constance would say.
Well, how lucky each of us are today to witness the glowing spark here between _____ and ______.

Reading 43

Lotus Flower
_____ and ____, the relationship that you have nourished together stands for love that will blossom and grow with each passing day. It is very appropriate that you have chosen the lotus as the theme of your wedding for a lotus flower has qualities that mirror your relationship.

The lotus flower grows out of the mud and muck into a beautiful and inspiring blossom. The petals of a lotus are actually very strong and can withstand heavy weather.

Your relationship has weathered many challenges – including distance and time – that most relationships wouldn’t survive. Your belief in each other and dedication to your future through all of your challenges makes this day that much sweeter for the two of you and an awe inspiring miracle to those who have witnessed what you have overcome together.

Reading 44

Your Laughter by Pablo Neruda
Take bread away from me, if you wish,
take air away, but
do not take from me your laughter.

Do not take away the rose,
the lance flower that you pluck,
the water that suddenly
bursts forth in joy,
the sudden wave
of silver born in you.

My struggle is harsh and I come back
with eyes tired
at times from having seen
the unchanging earth,
but when your laughter enters
it rises to the sky seeking me
and it opens for me all
the doors of life.

Next to the sea in the autumn,
your laughter must raise
its foamy cascade,
and in the spring, love,
I want your laughter like
the flower I was waiting for,
the blue flower, the rose
of my echoing country.

Laugh at the night,
at the day, at the moon,
laugh at the twisted
streets of the island,
laugh at this clumsy
boy who loves you,
but when I open
my eyes and close them,
when my steps go,
when my steps return,
deny me bread, air,
light, spring,
but never your laughter
for I would die.

Reading 45

Sonnet 17 by Pablo Neruda
I don’t love you as if you were the salt-rose, topaz
or arrow of carnations that propagate fire:
I love you as certain dark things are loved,
secretly, between the shadow and the soul.

I love you as the plant that doesn’t bloom and carries
hidden within itself the light of those flowers,
and thanks to your love, darkly in my body
lives the dense fragrance that rises from the earth.

I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where,
I love you simply, without problems or pride:
I love you in this way because I don’t know any other way of loving
but this, in which there is no I or you,
so intimate that your hand upon my chest is my hand,
so intimate that when I fall asleep it is your eyes that close.

Reading 46

He Wishes For The Cloths Of Heaven by William Butler Yeats
Had I the heaven’s embroidered cloths,
Enwrought with golden and silver light,
the blue and the dim and the dark cloths
of night and light and the half-light,
I would spread the cloths under your feet:
But I, being poor, have only my dreams;
I have spread my dreams under your feet;
Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.

Reading 47

by Roy Croft
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 of me.
I love you
For the part of me
That you bring out;
I love you
For putting your hand
Into my heaped-up heart
And passing over
All the foolish, weak things
That you can’t help
Dimly seeing there,
And for drawing out
Into the light
All the beautiful belongings
That no one else had looked
Quite far enough to find
I love you because you
Are helping me to make
Of the lumber of my life
Not a tavern
But a temple.
Out of the works
Of my every day
Not a reproach
But a song.
I love you
Because you have done
More than any creed
Could have done
To make me good.
And more than any fate
Could have done
To make me happy.
You have done it
Without a touch,
Without a word,
Without a sign.
You have done it
By being yourself.
Perhaps that is what
Being a friend means,
After all.

Reading 48

I Like You by Sandol Stoddard Warburg

I like you and I know why.
I like you because you are a good person to like.
I like you because when I tell you something special, you know it’s
special

And you remember it a long, long time.
You say, Remember when you told me something special
And both of us remember

When I think something is important
you think it’s important too
We have good ideas
When I say something funny, you laugh
I think I’m funny and you think I’m funny too
Hah-hah!
I like you because you know where I’m ticklish
And you don’t tickle me there except just a little tiny bit sometimes
But if you do, then I know where to tickle you too
You know how to be silly
That’s why I like you
Boy are you ever silly
I never met anybody sillier than me till I met you
I like you because you know when it’s time to stop being silly
Maybe day after tomorrow
Maybe never
Too late, it’s a quarter past silly
Sometimes we don’t say a word
We snurkle under fences
We spy secret places
If I am a goofus on the roofus hollering my head off
You are one too
If I pretend I am drowning, you pretend you are saving me
If I am getting ready to pop a paper bag,
then you are getting ready to jump
HOORAY

That’s because you really like me
You really like me, don’t you
And I really like you back
And you like me back and I like you back
And that’s the way we keep on going every day

Reading 49

Swami Omkarananada
Love has wisdom that can solve every problem. It possesses the great patience which waits until, drop by drop, an ocean is formed. Love is royal in dignity, brave in spirit, unbreakable in substance, and divine in nature. It does not complain, does not judge. It transforms everything that it touches. It rules everything to which it presents its own Light. It understands and yields only to conquer fully. Love has numberless resources and inexhaustible energies.

Reading 50

A History of Love by Diane Ackerman
Love. What a small word we use for an idea so immense and powerful it has altered the flow of history, calmed monsters, kindled works of art, cheered the forlorn, turned tough guys to mush, consoled the enslaved, driven strong women mad, glorified the humble, fueled national scandals, bankrupted robber barons, and made mincemeat of kings. How can love’s spaciousness be conveyed in the narrow confines of one syllable? Love is an ancient delirium, a desire older than civilization, with taproots stretching deep into dark and mysterious days…
The heart is a living museum. In each of its galleries, no matter how narrow or dimly lit, preserved forever like wondrous diatoms, are our moments of loving and being loved.

Reading 51

Why Marriage? (Author Unknown)
Because to the depths of me, I long to love one person,
With all my heart, my soul, my mind, my body…

Because I need a forever friend to trust with the intimacies of me,
Who won’t hold them against me,
Who loves me when I’m unlikable,
Who sees the small child in me, and
Who looks for the divine potential of me…

Because I need to cuddle in the warmth of the night
With someone who thanks God for me,
With someone I feel blessed to hold.

Reading 52

The Key to Love
The key to love is understanding …
The ability to comprehend not only the spoken word,
but also those unspoken gestures,
the little things that say so much by themselves.
The key to love is forgiveness….
to accept each other’s faults and pardon mistakes,
without forgetting, but with remembering
what you learn from them.
The key to love is sharing …
Facing your good fortunes as well as the bad, together;
both conquering problems, forever searching for ways
to intensify your happiness.
The key to love is giving …
without thought of return,
but with the hope of just a simple smile,
and by giving in but never giving up.
The key to love is respect …
realizing that you are two separate people, with different ideas;
that you don’t belong to each other,
that you belong with each other, and share a mutual bond.
The key to love is inside us all …
It takes time and patience to unlock all the ingredients
that will take you to its threshold;
it is the continual learning process that demands a lot of work … but the rewards are more than worth the effort …
and that is the key to love.

Reading 53

Oh, My Love!
Oh my love!
How very like a rose you are,
My regal, fragrant, floral star;
I truly love you, love you, love!

Oh my love!
When in the sun’s reflecting hues
You bask, no task may I refuse
Because I love you, love you, love!

Oh my love!
Should I, by chance, be severed free
Of senses made to smell and see,
I’d feel your nearness next to me
As one hand feels another darkly there
And presses to another as in prayer;
I’d know that feel of kinship’s care
As I now know this heart of mine
Shall ever love you, love!

Oh my love!
Should that axe of ages activate
To prematurely untogether all,
All aspirations must, like dreams, abate
Until horns of Michael call;
Yet, when two lives are merged, as we,
And each becomes the other’s me,
Then, servitude’s the highest free
And, in oneness, we shall be
Together everlasting!
Such a trite catastrophe
Could never mar our unity
Because my spirit loves the love of loving you!

Reading 54

Fenton Johnson
“But in love
something miraculous happens.
In loving someone,
we give them
an ideal against which
to measure themselves.
Living in the presence
of that ideal,
the beloved strives to fulfill
the lover’s expectations.
In this way,
Love makes of us
the bravest and best persons
that we are capable of being.”

Reading 55

Jean Marie Rilke
Understand, I’ll slip quietly
Away from the noisy crowd
When I see the pale
Stars rising, blooming over the oaks
I’ll pursue solitary pathways
Through the pale twilight meadows
With only this one dream,
You come too.

Reading 56

Shakespeare
Love’s not Time’s fool, though rosy lips and cheeks
Within his bending sickle’s compass come;
Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,
But bears it out even to the edge of doom.
If this be error and upon me proved,
I never writ, nor no man ever loved.

Reading 57

Now join your hands, and with your hands, your hearts.

Unity Candle Ceremony

August 17, 2009

Unity Candle Ceremony 1

BRIDE and GROOM, together as you light this candle of unity, you symbolize the flame of your own individual selves joining to ignite the partnership of marriage.

You also bring the warmth, strength and wisdom of your family’s fire as kindling for your own.

As BRIDE and GROOM, your flames are separate, yet they feed the same fire.

From this day onward, may you bask in the beauty of the light of your love, may its light shine bright and steady upon your path together and may its heat keep you warm through all the days of your lives and beyond.

Unity Candle Ceremony 2

This candle you are about to light is a candle of Marriage.  Its fire is magical because it represents the light of two people in love.

This candle before you is a candle of Commitment because it takes two people working together to keep it aflame.

This candle is also a candle of Unity because both must come together, giving a spark of themselves, to create the new light.

As you light this candle today, may the brightness of the flame shine throughout your lives.  May it give you courage and reassurance in darkness; warmth and safety in the cold; and strength and joy in your bodies, minds, and spirits.

May your union be forever blessed.

Unity Candle Ceremony 3

It is a well-known phrase that actions speak louder than words.  Actions, such as the rituals performed today for your wedding ceremony – holding hands, carrying flowers, and exchanging rings — convey deep symbolic meaning.  They show that you are committed to taking action with regard to your promises.

At this time, I’d like each of you to take a candle and together ignite the larger one to flame.  This is a glowing reminder that in a true marriage, your lives are both individual and together as one.

This is also a symbolic reminder that while we are all one with God, as you are now within your marriage, you still maintain your own sparks of the divine.

Unity Candle Ceremony 4

BRIDE and GROOM, the two separate candles symbolize your separate lives, separate families and separate sets of friends, in other words, your lives before today. Lighting

the center candle represents that your two lives are now being joined together as one.

Please pick up the lighted candles and together light the center candle.

Unity Candle Ceremony 5

BRIDE and GROOM have chosen to affirm their love by the lighting of a unity candle. They have also asked their families to participate in the lighting ceremony. In so doing,

they signal their desire to not only join as one in their union but to also unite two families together as one. From every human being there rises a light and when two souls that are destined for each other find one another, their streams of light flow together and a single, brighter light goes forth from their united being.

Unity Candle Ceremony 6

Fire is believed by many to represent passion and purity. It is also associated with the security of home and family, as the warmth of the hearth and the “home fires.”

We kindle this light in harmony with all that is good in life. Its’ dancing flame symbolizes the beauty and vitality of the love that has brought BRIDE and GROOM here today, which will enrich and sustain their lives through the years ahead.

BRIDE and GROOM will now light the outside candles representing the light of their individual selves.

BRIDE and GROOM, as together you now light the single candle, while leaving the separate candles burning, may it be known to all that you are individuals, each unique and different. You have chosen the common commitment of sharing your lives, your hearth and your home together.

Unity Candle Ceremony 7

There are many traditions and rituals commonly included in marriage ceremonies. One of the most beautiful and expressive is the “Unity Candle.” Two fires, separate and individual, uniting their flames to burn as one.

Imagine how you might describe fire to someone who had never experienced it before. It would be difficult to explain, because it is both substance and energy at the same time. The best you might do is to say that there is always plain evidence of it when it exists, and that you can feel its warmth.

Love similarly would be hard to describe to someone who had never experienced it before, except to say there is always visible evidence of it when it exists…and you can feel its warmth.

BRIDE and GROOM, as a symbol of the union of your separate selves, please now light the Unity Candle.

Unity Candle Ceremony 8

(First the bride then the groom each light a single candle. Together they take their separate flames and light the third candle of union.)

As you light your separate candles, you honor your separate selves: your uniqueness and your autonomy. This candle represents the light of your being: your special talents, needs, visions and gifts – all that makes you who you are, you honor with this flame.

As you blend your flames to light the third candle, you celebrate the power of separate lights to ignite a common flame of passion and commitment, and to come together as one.

From every human being there rises a light that reaches straight to heaven. And when two souls are destined to find one another, their two streams of light flow together and a single brighter light goes forth from their united being.

The Zohar, an ancient book of Jewish Teaching, tells us that true oneness is possible only when we unite male and female, first within ourselves, then between ourselves. It is then that our divinity is made manifest and we create the world anew. May the world the two of you create this day be one of truth and light, happiness and honesty, joy, purpose, and peace.

Unity Candle Ceremony 9

Fire is one of the basic elements on earth. Many ancient people worshipped it as the source of life itself.

Throughout history, many different societies have used candle lighting to celebrate and acknowledge special holidays and events. For us, the light of these candles represents the foundation of love, its heat and its fragility.

These three candles represent each one of you and your marriage. You will take your individual candles and light the large candle in the center, the candle representing your unity in marriage.

Your individual selves will remain burning and bright even as you become unified in your lives together.

Let the lighting of these candles reflect our thoughts on this day. Prior to this moment you each walked separate paths. Now as you light your candle, you embark on a marital partnership — a single path together.

Unity Candle Ceremony 10

From every human being there rises a light that reaches straight to heaven. And when two souls are destined to find each other, their two streams of light flow together and a single brighter light goes forth from their united being. They do not lose their individuality; yet, in marriage, they are united in so close a bond that they become one. Now, following the profession of their marriage vows, they will light the large center candle from the smaller candles to symbolize this new reality. In this way, they are saying that henceforth their light must shine together for each other, for their families, and for their community.

Unity Candle Ceremony 11

“Soft mists embrace two golden flames,
Alone they search the night.
Two souls adrift in dreams of love,
They seek to claim the light.
The path is long from which they came,
But sure they are it’s right.
Two flames embrace in dreams of love,
Two Souls – Two Hearts Unite.”
by Harold Douglas

Unity Candle Ceremony 12

Today the bride and groom come here from two different families, two different heritages. We are especially grateful for the values which have flowed into them form those who have loved and nurtured them and pointed them along lifes way.

The Heritage each brings to this marriage will continue to be an important element in their lives, but now will be shared between them. Out of these two families, a new family will be created. A very beautiful way to symbolize the two who become one, is to invite the mothers of BRIDE and GROOM to come forward and light the individual candles which represent the two separate families.

When The two individual flames are merged as one, it will symbolize the union of their two families in this marriage and the rich heritage each brings to it. From now on Caleb and Anne will grow together as unique persons who will together create a rich heritage all of their own.

Unity Candle Ceremony 13

BRIDE and GROOM, will now light center Unity Candle. You will take the flame from the candles which your (names of candle lighters) have lighted. You will see that this center candle is larger than the other two because it is the new family that has been formed today as you repeated your vows and will be a blending of all the love, traditions and experiences you have both shared with your individual families. It is also larger because the middle candle represents Christ, who has brought you both together for this moment and to remind you that He is with you always as a partner in your marriage, to guard and to guide you in all that you do.

Family Unity Candle Ceremony 14

Within each human being burns the spark of the Divine. When two people love one another with devotion and freedom, they kindle the awareness of that spark in each other as nothing else quite can do. The lighted candle is symbolic of the cosmic creation and the light and truth in the human heart, mind and soul. Fire also symbolizes both purity and passion. For many, the flame means the security of home and family, the warmth of the hearth.

Take into your beings the warmth, radiance and light that the divine flame represents. Let it light your way on the journey of life that you are about to embark on.

In committing to one another today, in the spirit of being born new to one another, you kindle each other’s divine light and promise always to see that light in one another-to nurture and tend that divine flame in your partner as best you can each day-especially at the times it may be hardest to see, and the times your partner may doubt or forget the existence of that light within him-or herself. .

Bride, take this candle now and symbolically enter the sacred trust to honor the divine spark in Groom by lighting it from this candle representing the Divine Source.

Groom, take this candle now and symbolically enter the sacred trust to honor the divine spark in Bride by lighting it from this candle representing the Divine Source.

If at this time you wish to affirm your free choice to unite as partners in marriage, please light the unlit candle together now. (They light unlit candle together) As you bring your individual flames together to symbolically form the new and greater flame of your marriage, never forget that the light of your union is made up of your unique, individual expressions of light and is continually sustained and renewed by your connection to the Divine Spark, the eternal light of God.

The candle you lit together symbolizes your marriage, your willingness to surrender to something greater than yourselves. May the light of your marriage, Bride and Groom, be a beacon in the night, a safe harbor from the storms of life. May your future be made infinitely brighter by the light and the love that you share. .

Family Unity Candle Ceremony 15

This candle you are about to light is a candle of Family. Its’ fire is magical because it burns with the flame of a family joined in love.

This candle before you is a candle of Commitment because it takes (three, four, etc.) people working together to keep it aflame.

This candle is also a candle of Unity because all must come together, giving a spark of themselves, to create the new light.

As you light this candle today, may the brightness of the flame shine throughout your lives. May it give you courage and reassurance in darkness; warmth and safety in the cold; and strength and joy in your bodies, minds, and spirits.

May your family be forever blessed.

Family Unity Candle Ceremony 16

We will now symbolize BRIDE and GROOM’s union with a ceremony of light.

The flame of the soon to be lit Unity Candle, represents not only illumination, but also Spirit; and fire is often said to symbolize inspiration, power, and passion. As you each bring these qualities forth from within yourselves to your union and your family, may you find the same flame burning always brightly in your hearts.

(Officiant walks over to table and takes two tapers, lights them from the small candle and gives them to the bride and groom.)

BRIDE and GROOM, take these candles, and realize that as you light the Unity candle together, you leave behind your separate lives, your separate families, and your two separate sets of friends.

(Bride and Groom hold and light candle together.)

Your lit Unity Candle represents that your two lives are now joined as one. It also represents the joining together of your two families and sets of friends as one.

Will the mothers of the bride and groom now come forward and light your candles from the Unity Candle?

(The mothers will light the candles of the person standing at the far ends. These persons in turn, will light the candle of the person next to them, and so on, until everyone’s candle is lit.)

Let us all share our good wishes and personal blessings for BRIDE and GROOM, as together we say:

May the light of love,

And the light of understanding

And the light of respect

And the light of tolerance

Shine eternally for you both.

Aware now that there is one Presence and Power, and that we are each part of that Divine unity, we now join in blessing BRIDE and GROOM as they begin their lives together. We recognize that the presence of Spirit within them enables them to fulfill the promise of true partnership in life. We know and affirm that life in joy and love.

I Do Ceremony

August 11, 2009

Greeting and Statement of Purpose
We are gathered here today to join the BRIDE and GROOM in marriage.

I Do’s
GROOM do you take BRIDE to be your Wife?
GROOM says, “I do”.

BRIDE do you take GROOM to be your Husband?

BRIDE says, “I do”.

Exchange of Rings
BRIDE, With this ring, I thee wed.

GROOM, With this ring, I thee wed.

Pronouncement
BRIDE and GROOM in so much as the two of you have agreed to live together in Matrimony, I now pronounce you to be Husband and Wife.

Congratulations, you may kiss your bride.

Basic Wedding Ceremony

August 11, 2009

Greeting and Statement of Purpose
We are gathered here today to celebrate one of life’s greatest moments, The Joining of two hearts and to give recognition to the worth and beauty of love, and to add our best wishes to the words which shall unite BRIDE and GROOM in marriage.

Who Gives this Woman to this Man?

Today we have come together to witness the joining of these two lives. For them, out of the routine of ordinary life, the extraordinary has happened. They met each other, fell in love and are finalizing it with their wedding. A good marriage must be created. It is never being too old to hold hands. It’s remembering to say I love you every day and it is not just marrying the right person its being the right partner.

Exchange of Vows (face each other and hold hands)
I, GROOM take you BRIDE to be my wife,
my partner in life and my one true love.
I will cherish our friendship and love you today, tomorrow, and forever.

I, BRIDE take you GROOM to be my HUSBAND,
my partner in life and my one true love.
I will cherish our friendship and love you today, tomorrow, and forever.

I Do’s
GROOM do you take BRIDE to be your Wife?
GROOM says, “I do”.

Do you promise to love, honor, cherish and protect her, forsaking all others and holding only unto her?
GROOM says, “I do”.

BRIDE do you take GROOM to be your Husband?
BRIDE says, “I do”.

Do you promise to love, honor, cherish and protect him, forsaking all others and holding only unto him?

BRIDE says, “I do”.

Blessing of the Rings (who has the rings?)
Wedding rings are an unbroken circle of love, signifying to all the union of this man and this woman in marriage.

Exchange of Rings
As you place the ring on BRIDE’s finger, repeat after me.
BRIDE, This ring is my sacred gift,
with my promise that I will always love you,
cherish you and honor you all the days of my life.
And with this ring, I thee wed.

As you place the ring on GROOM’s finger, repeat after me
GROOM, This ring is my sacred gift,
with my promise that I will always love you,
cherish you and honor you all the days of my life.
And with this ring, I thee wed.

Pronouncement
By the power vested in me I now pronounce you Husband and Wife.

You may kiss your bride.

Presentation of Couple
I present to you Mr. and Mrs. BRIDE and GROOM.

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