Sunday, November 21, 2004
Greetings...and blessings!
by Chris WaltonPlease welcome another Coffee Hour author! RevThom, a frequent commenter here and at Philocrites, will be setting up a table here in the parish hall to share some news and commentary about growth trends and challenges in the UUA. I'll let him introduce himself, but I'm delighted to welcome him to the crew.
In other Coffee Hour news, I'd like to announce that our own blog reviewer, Chalicechick, is preparing for her December 5 wedding, so while she wraps up the thousand and one things that go into a wedding (and take her away from reading all your excellent blog entries) please feel free to turn this thread into a round of congratulations.
Better yet: Let's make this an open thread for sharing favorite wedding toasts, blessings, and readings. What words make (or would make) a wedding especially perfect?
Posted by Chris Walton, November 21, 2004 08:32 PMEric Posa says:
November 23, 2004 12:44 PM | Permalink for this commentA favorite wedding blessing for me is the one attributed to the Apache Tribe:
"Now you will feel no rain,
For each of you will be shelter to the other.
"Now you will feel no cold,
For each of you will be warmth to the other.
"Now there is no more loneliness,
For each of you will be companion to the other.
"Now you are two bodies,
But there is one life before you.
"Go now to your dwelling place,
To enter into your days together.
"And may your days be good and long upon the earth."
May your wedding day truly be blessed...and may the stress of this time of preparation for it be minimal and managable.
Anna says:
November 30, 2004 10:01 PM | Permalink for this commentOn Marriage
Then Almitra spoke again and said, "And what of Marriage, master?"
And he answered saying:
You were born together, and together you shall be forevermore.
You shall be together when white wings of death scatter your days.
Aye, 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 let 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.
Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet
I know it's probably overdone, but my sister-in-law read it at our wedding and it means even more to me now with a few married years under our belt.
Anna