Love is the greatest thing that we can give to one
another...for love is a wondrous gift; no other can take its place, but it can
take the place of all the rest. When two people entrust one another with their
innermost feelings, their hearts, their lives, the bond between them
strengthens and surrounds them until each becomes a part of the other. This
closeness cannot be measured by time, words or circumstance. It is a wholeness
of the soul, a silence, and the highest form of intimacy.
We are gathered
here today, because love gathers us and especially because love has found
Leanne and Robert, and woven them together, into the great web of life. We are
gathered to remember and rejoice, to recount with one another, that it is love,
always love, that leads us to our true destination and to celebrate that
Lorraine and Robert have finally arrived.
This is
the Partners in Life union of Leanne and Robert. We are here to
listen, with love in our hearts, and to share with them, their celebration of
love.
FRIEND
To love is to remember
and keep alive forever all those unique qualities that drew you to one another
in the beginning.... Those first halting phrases...the thrill of discovery....
That wonderful feeling of oneness when your eyes met.
To love is to constantly search for new ways
to bring each other to happiness, to make the most of every moment you share
together, and marvel at how your feelings for one another keep rising to new
dimensions.
To love is to create an oasis of tranquility
for one another and a quiet place, apart from others, where you need not
pretend...where you can be yourselves.... And know within your hearts, you will
be accepted by one another.
To love
is to greet each day with anticipation...Always eager for another opportunity
to share new adventures...And gather up new memories TOGETHER!
To love is to follow the rainbow through the
rain, to be able to laugh at yourselves and be willing to say...."I was
wrong, I'm sorry"...To forgive, and more importantly, to FORGET, and to
always believe and trust in one another.
To love is to watch with wonder all the
miracles of creation, to find beauty in all the simple things of life, and to
find, within ourselves, a deeper appreciation and a new awareness of how
wonderful it is to be alive...To be happy...To be…TOGETHER.
To love is to come together from the
pathways of our past and then move forward...Hand in hand, along the uncharted
roads of our future, ready to risk, to dream, and to dare.... And always
believe that all things are possible with faith and love.
ROBERT'S VOWS
Today I give you my hand so that you will never be alone. I give you my
laughter so that your happiness may always be my happiness. I give you my
friendship to support and encourage you. I give you my heart for it belongs to
you.
LEANNE'S VOWS
I promise to give you the best of myself and to ask of you no more than you can
give. I promise to respect you as your own person and to realize that your
interests, desires and needs are no less important than my own. I promise to
share with you my time and my attention and
to bring joy, strength and imagination to our relationship.
EXCHANGING RINGS
Celebrant:
These rings are seamless circles of joy, symbolizing the love that lives deep
within this couple's heart and soul. A sign of their willingness to share
life's journey with each other; and of the seamless circle of joy that
surrounds them both.
Robert, you will
give this ring to Leanne, as a symbol that love lives deep within your heart
and soul, that you are bound to her always, with your love, soul and heart.
ROBERT
Leanne, accept this ring
as a symbol of the promises we have made to each other today. It is a token of
my love, that lives deep within my heart. As I choose to share my life's
journey with you, I pledge to you the joy of all my days.
With this ring I
commit to you my love, soul and heart.
CELEBRANT
Leanne, you will give
this ring to Robert as a symbol that love lives deep with your heart and soul,
that you are bound to him always with your love, soul and heart.
LEANNE
Robert, accept this ring
as a symbol of the promises we have made to each other today. It is a token of
my love that lives deep within my heart. As I choose to share my life's journey
with you, I pledge to you the joy of all my days.
With this ring I
commit to you my love, soul and hearts.
CELEBRANT
Robert
and Leanne, may God bless and keep you, may the sun of many days and years
shine upon you,
May the
love you have for one another grow and hold you close.
May the
good true light within you guide your way together. May your dreams come true
and when they don’t may new dreams arise.
And
long, long years from now, may you look at one another and be able to say,
‘Because of you I have become the person I longed to be’.
