Readings

The Secret of a Beautiful Marriage
If you can love each other
Through the sunshine and the storm,
And keep the flame of true devotion
Glowing bright and warm;
If you can give each other room
To grow and change and learn,
Yet still hold one another close
In mutual concern;
If you can be both lovers
And the very best of friends,
And face together, hand in hand,
The challenges life sends….
If you can offer patience, comfort
And real understanding,
Encourage one another’s efforts,
Yet be undemanding;
If you can show true love and faith
In everything you do,
Then married life will surely hold
Much joy for both of you.

Union by Robert Fulghum
You have known each other from the first glance of acquaintance to this point of commitment. At some point, you decided to marry.
From that moment of yes, to this moment of yes, indeed, you have been making commitments in an informal way.
All of those conversations that were held in a car, or over a meal, or during long walks – all those conversations that began with, "When we're married", and continued with "I will" and "you will" and "we will" – all those late night talks that included "someday" and "somehow" and "maybe" – and all those promises that are unspoken matters of the heart. All these common things, and more, are the real process of a wedding.
The symbolic vows that you are about to make are a way of saying to one another, "You know all those things that we've promised, and hoped, and dreamed – well, I meant it all, every word."
Look at one another and remember this moment in time.
Before this moment you have been many things to one another – acquaintance, friend, companion, lover, dancing partner, even teacher, for you have learned much from one another these past few years.
Shortly you shall say a few words that will take you across a threshold of life, and things between you will never quite be the same.
For after today you shall say to the world – This is my husband. This is my wife.

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

When Two People Join by Regina Hill
When two people join together and bond their lives forever because they are certain they have something special that will make their commitment last… this is the first act of faith. Upon this act of faith these two people will build a life. and as long as their determination stays with them this life will always be their hope, their dreams, their truth, their being, their inspiration, and their source of strength. Through their life together, they will hurt and laugh. Together they will feel all of life’s up and downs. They will learn and grow through trial and error. The lessons will show them the meaning of true love And the difference between a love that lasts and one that just gives up. These two people will face each failure together and discover the strength to go on. They will encourage each other’s dreams and forgive each other’s faults. Through a labour of love. These two will become as one, fighting against the odds and ultimately creating a commitment that will grow into an infinite love.

A Marriage by Michael Blumenthal
You are holding up a ceiling with both arms.
It is very heavy, but you must hold it up, or else it will fall down on you.
Your arms are tired, terribly tired, and, as the day goes on, it feels as if either your arms or the ceiling will soon collapse.
But then, unexpectedly, something wonderful happens:
Someone, a man or a woman, walks into the room and holds their arms up to the ceiling beside you.
So you finally get to take down your arms.
You feel the relief of respite, the blood flowing back to your fingers and arms.
And when your partner’s arms tire, you hold up your own to relieve them again.
And it can go on like this for many years without the house falling.

The Art of Marriage by Louis K. Anspacher
Happiness in marriage doesn’t just happen.
A good marriage must be created, nurtured and worked at.
In marriage, little things are big things.
Marriage is never being too old to hold hands.
It is remembering to say, “I love you”.
It is not taking each other for granted.
It’s a hug sent over the phone lines when you’re apart.
The courtship shouldn’t end with the honeymoon, it should continue through all the years together.
A solid marriage is having a mutual sense of values and common objectives; it is you two standing together facing the world and all it offers.
It is also forming a circle of love around you that gathers in family and friends.
Marriage is doing things for each other, not in the attitude of duty or sacrifice, but in a spirit of joy.
It is speaking words of appreciation and demonstrating gratitude in thoughtful ways.
It’s a continuously open dialogue.
There are also things marriage is not.
For example, it is not looking for perfection in each other.
It is cultivating flexibility, patience, understanding and a sense of humour.
Nor is marriage a ‘winner take all’ argument.
It is sharing in all things.
It is having the capacity to forgive and forget.
It is giving each other an atmosphere in which each can grow.
Marriage certainly is finding room for things of the spirit.
It is a search for the good and beautiful as well as the meaningful.
It is establishing a relationship in which the independence is equal, the dependence is mutual and the obligations are reciprocal.
Perhaps most important, marriage is not simply marrying the right partner; it is being the right partner.

A Tapestry of Love
Just as two very different threads woven in opposite directions can form a beautiful tapestry, so can your two lives merge together to form a beautiful marriage. To make your marriage work will take love. Love should be the core of your marriage; love is the reason you are here. But it will also take trust - to know in your hearts you want the best for each other. It will take dedication – to stay open to one another; to learn and to grow together even when this is not so easy to do. It will take faith – to always be willing to go forward to tomorrow, never really knowing what tomorrow will bring. And it will take commitment – to hold true to a journey you both now will share together.

A Wedding Reading
You share today the joy of a deep commitment And a sacred trust, and you have given each other The most precious gift of love Treasure it, nurture it and encourage it With all the honesty you used in creating it You are sharing something rare and beautiful Always speak the truth and listen attentively So that you may understand each other’s thoughts and intentions Inspire each other by sharing your accomplishments Say I love you often to retain the warmth between you Laugh a lot too, even when you are angry Remember you are each other’s best friend Stand together and for each other always May each day be a blessing And the fulfilment of your dreams.

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

Love by Helen Steiner Rice
Love is like magic, and it always will be,
For love still remains life's sweet mystery.
Love works in ways that are wondrous and strange,
And there's nothing in life that love cannot change!
Love can transform the most commonplace
Into beauty and splendour and sweetness and grace.
Love is unselfish, understanding and kind,
For it sees with its heart, and not with its mind.
Love is the answer that everyone seeks;
Love is the language that every heart speaks.
Love can't be bought, it is priceless and free.
Love, like pure magic, is life's sweet mystery!

A reading 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 know your fullness.
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, but not 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.
May you enter into the mystery which is the awareness of one another's presence.
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!

i carry your heart by e e cummings
i carry your heart with me (i carry it in
my heart) i am never without it (anywhere
i go you go, my dear; and whatever is done
by only me is your doing, my darling)
i fear no fate (for you are my fate, my sweet) i want
no world (for beautiful you are my world, my true)
and it's you are whatever a moon has always meant
and whatever a sun will always sing is you
here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life; which grows
higher than the soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart
i carry your heart (i carry it in my heart)

All I Want
All I want is to love you for the rest of my life,
To wake every morning with you by my side,
Knowing that no matter what happens,
I’ll be able to come home to your loving arms.
All I want is to share everything with you,
To talk to you about our ideas, our dreams.
The little everyday things that make us laugh,
And the not-so-little things that we can’t help worrying about.
All I want is to give you my love...
As a place you can always come for acceptance,
Or the simple comfort that silence brings.
When things left unspoken can still be understood.
All I want is to grow old with you...
To watch our lives unfold.
Our dreams one by one, come true
All I want is to love you forever.

Blessing of the Hands
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 alongside 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 fills your mind. 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 help you to hold your family as one. These are the hands that will give you strength when you need it. 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.

A Lovely Love Story by Edward Monkton
The fierce Dinosaur was trapped inside his cage of ice.
Although it was cold he was happy in there. It was, after all, his cage.
Then along came the Lovely Other Dinosaur.
The Lovely Other Dinosaur melted the Dinosaur’s cage with kind words and loving thoughts.
I like this Dinosaur thought the Lovely Other Dinosaur.
Although he is fierce he is also tender and he is funny.
He is also quite clever though I will not tell him this for now.
I like this Lovely Other Dinosaur, thought the Dinosaur.
She is beautiful and she is different and she smells so nice.
She is also a free spirit which is a quality I much admire in a dinosaur.
But he can be so distant and so peculiar at times, thought the Lovely Other Dinosaur.
He is also overly fond of things.
Are all Dinosaurs so overly fond of things?
But her mind skips from here to there so quickly thought the Dinosaur.
She is also uncommonly keen on shopping.
Are all Lovely Other Dinosaurs so uncommonly keen on shopping?
I will forgive his peculiarity and his concern for things, thought the Lovely Other Dinosaur.
For they are part of what makes him a richly charactered individual.
I will forgive her skipping mind and her fondness for shopping, thought the Dinosaur.
For she fills our life with beautiful thoughts and wonderful surprises. Besides,
I am not unkeen on shopping either.
Now the Dinosaur and the Lovely Other Dinosaur are old.
Look at them. Together they stand on the hill telling each other stories and feeling the warmth of the sun on their backs.
And that, my friends, is how it is with love.
Let us all be Dinosaurs and Lovely Other Dinosaurs together.
For the sun is warm.
And the world is a beautiful place.

All I Ever Really Needed to Know I Learned in Kindergarten by Robert Fulghum
All of what you really need to know about how to live together, what to do and how to be, you already know- you learnt it in Kindergarten. Wisdom was not at the top of the High School Mountain, but rather there in the sandbox at kindy.
These are the things I learned...
Play nicely in your sandpit together.
Share your toys – share everything.
Play fair.
Don't hit people.
Put things back where you found them.
Clean up your own mess.
Say sorry when you hurt somebody.
Work on your aim. Remember to Flush.
Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you. Give them to someone who feels sad..
Learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day.
Be aware of wonder.
Remember the little seed in the cotton wool experiment? The roots go down and the plant goes up and nobody really knows how or why, but we are all like that.
Everything you need to know is in there somewhere.
And it is still true, no matter how old you are, when you go out into the world, it is best to hold hands and stick together.

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

Captain Corelli's Mandolin by Louis de Bernieres
Love is a temporary madness, it erupts like volcanoes and then subsides.
And when it subsides you have to make a decision.
You have to work out whether your roots have so entwined together that it is inconceivable that you should ever part.
Because this is what love is.
Love is not breathlessness, it is not excitement, it is not the promulgation of eternal passion.
That is just being "in love", which any fool can do.
Love itself is what is left over when being in love has burned away, and this is both an art and a fortunate accident.
Those that truly love, have roots that grow towards each other underground, and when all the pretty blossoms have fallen from their branches, they find that they are one tree and not two.

Marriage is an Exciting Adventure by Wendy Haynes
Marriage is an exciting adventure,
The path is always changing and the way is varied
Sometimes easy, sometimes hard.
And sometimes, with the challenges
The adventure halts and becomes stagnant
And yet, as with all stories, this too will pass.
It may take courage and determination
To face the challenges
And not give up because it is too hard.
You will need to listen diligently
And respond thoughtfully and honestly,
In this way, challenging yet heartfelt agreements can be reached.
There has to be tolerance for differences.
Forgiveness and patience
Even when you feel disinclined.
And, at times, a helping hand can bring new light
To an unknown way.
Practise kindness and compassion,
Gentleness and caring.
Security and freedom can come
From a deep and loving commitment
And can enhance the shared peace and joy
A thousand fold.
Marriage can provide an opportunity
To grow and learn more about oneself.
It can provide encouragement and inspiration.
It offers shared experiences
That reveal so much more
Of life’s many mysteries and wonders.
All in all, a marriage and a life well lived together,
Will present a rich tapestry that comes from sharing your life with someone you love.

A Family
A family is a place where you can cry and laugh,
and be silly, or sad, or cross, where you can ask for help,
and tease and yell at each other, and know that you will always be loved.
A family is made up of people who care about you when you are sad,
who love you all the time, no matter what, and who share your good times.
They don't expect you to be perfect,
but just want you to try to be the best you can be.
A family is a safe place like a circle,
where we learn to like ourselves,
where we learn about making good choices,
where we learn to think about things before we do them,
where we learn to be honest, and to have table manners, and respect for other people, where we are special, where we share ideas,
where we listen to them and they listen to us,
where we learn the rules of life to prepare ourselves for the world.
The world is a place where anything can happen.
If we grow up in a loving family… like our family
we are ready for the world.

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

Love 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
To make me happy.
You have done it
Without a touch,
Without a word,
Without a sign.
You have done it
By being yourself