Just married

In that moment, standing there in our living room in the presence of our family members and friends, there was only joy and love. There were moments of laughter too. When I asked for a tissue in the midst of my vow. When Cristy asked for a spare pair of glasses so she could read the vow she had written. When, after exchanging our rings, our officiant excitedly exclaimed, "Yay!"

Tears of emotion emerged while my beloved brother read a touchingly beautiful blessing. And when my sister-in-law read a tender message of love.

Those present fully shared our experience, in fact, became part of the experience, and the collective energy was powerful. Tingling. Full of happiness and hope.

Making a promise.
Declaring a love.
Taking a step forward in the journey of our lives.
Together.

Happy father's day

My dad. He inherited his spirited and quirky sense of humor from his own dad. This is a photo of him from the early 1950s. He had not yet met my mother, he was barely 20 years old. But it is one of my favorite pictures of him.

I treasure these old photos along with the other assorted relics from his life. I'm thankful for having had him in my life at all. Part of who he was is alive in the way I think and make decisions and see the world.

I love you Daddy.

Language of love

In ten days I will recite a vow and make a heart-felt promise to my beloved Cristy, witnessed by the members of our family and our closest friends. I will vow to travel the journey of my life with her, seeking that path and finding our way together. These words, our promises, will communicate the strong sense of love that we share and cherish.

Planning for this wedding has been an interesting project and as we get closer to the date, the activities we are involved with on a near-daily basis are steeped in minutae.

The wedding will be in our home, and we are transforming it from an already lovely residence into something even softer and sweeter. Swirling with pretty paper heart garlands and shining candle lanterns. Sprinkled with dozens of simple bouquets of flowers and greenery. In every way, the layers of detail that will form the backdrop for our wedding are an expression of who we are. These elements too, will communicate, more subtly, the gentle tenderness with which we move through our days and nights.

This combination of words and personal expression is indeed, the language of our love.