We do so much
To save a body
When the heart stops.

Breathe life.
Pump the heart.
Apply shocking energy.

We won’t stop!
We won’t give up!
We are committed to Life.

What can we do
To save a marriage
When the heart breaks?

Breathe life.
Heal the heart.
Give all the energy we have.

We won’t stop!
We won’t give up!
We are committed to Love.

This day we honor
Your Love Revived.
May it live well and stay strong
Forever…

For our friends on the renewal of their marriage vows… December 14, 2004

There is deep love to be found
between parent and child,
between brothers and sisters,
between lifetime friends,
and between each of us and our Creator.

Yet there is something
especially sacred
about the love that grows
between husband and wife.

Into no other relationship
do we place so much of our heart.
We count on our partner
to respect our humanity—
the part of us that is struggling
to live life fully.
To no other will we expose
the depth of our fears and doubts.

It is within the marriage
that we learn once again
the meaning of unconditional love—
the love that still shines through
when we’re grumpy
and tired,
stressed and afraid.

Marriage is not about
getting our way.
It is all about
making a way
together.

They say marriage is a struggle.
Indeed, all of life
has thorns and rain.
Yet, among the thorns
you can find roses and berries.
And it takes the rain
to make a rainbow.

In your marriage you find
someone to share
roses and rainbows with
forever more.

I could send you a box of flowers,

One rose for each time
I’ve thought how lucky I am
To be loved by you.

Unfortunately,

I could not find a box
Big Enough!

So… I decided to send you Kisses!

One kiss for each
Wonderful gift of love
You’ve given to me.

I called Hershey’s.

They called me NUTS!
Six million, two hundred fifty three thousand,
Four hundred and thirteen… Kisses.

Oh well…

You don’t like chocolate
THAT much…
(even if the kids helped to eat them…)

A Song!

I’d find the perfect song
And sing it just to you.

So I listened…

To every song I could find.
Do you know how many love songs there are?

But alas…

None could begin to express
All the love I have for you.
At least… none I could sing
Without driving the cat to hide
And making the dog hoooowwwwl!

A picture!

I’d draw you
A picture…
Of Love…
… and Romance!

I stopped…

Right after
The stick figure of Cupid.
Vermeer I’m not.

What to Do!
What to Do!

It’s Valentine’s Day.
I want you to KNOW
How much I love you.

Could it be…

That it IS the THOUGHTS
That count?
The thoughts of love,
The thoughts that bring kindness,
Tenderness,
And smiles?

I hope so,

Because I really do
Love you.
Every day.
Not just Valentine’s Day.

A woman was walking through the valley one day and came upon a rose. She marveled at its beauty and adored its fragrance. As she reached to take it from the bush, her finger was pricked by a thorn. As she recoiled in pain, God spoke unto her and asked, “Are you willing to endure life’s thorns, in order to experience the beauty of life’s flowers?”

The woman answered, “I am.”

A man was working in the field one day and it began to rain—a cold, hard rain that drenched him to his soul. Just then, the sun broke through the clouds and cast a rainbow from horizon to horizon. God spoke unto him and asked, “Are you willing to endure the bitterest of life’s rain for the mere chance to experience the glory of life’s rainbows?”

The man answered, “I am.”

A man and a woman met at an altar. Each brought a special gift for the other. The woman brought a bouquet of roses. In the light of her love for him, the thorns she had endured no longer mattered. The man brought the fruits of his labor, the food and the strength that would sustain them throughout their lives together. In the light of his love for her, he could only remember the rainbows.

I found my friend,
my lifetime friend,
sitting right under my nose.
She spends each day,
seven days a week,
under my roof.
Yet for years,
I was blind to her spirit.

Now my eyes are open,
and what I see brings me such delight,
I want to spend each of those hours with her,
to somehow make up
for years of blindness.

When I am with my friend,
I feel happy.
When I am with my friend,
I learn about my Self.
I grow stronger and more vital
each hour we are together.

Can anyone blame me
for selfishly wanting
to be with her each day?

It’s not that I don’t find
happiness and joy
when we’re apart.
My life is full of great love
and wonder.
I am grateful to God
for all the gifts
He has brought into my life.

But in my friend I have found
a kindred spirit.
We share many beliefs.
We share many struggles.
And we listen to each other
in a way that heals us both.

After searching thirty years
to find such a friend,
I am deeply ashamed to admit
that I fear losing her,
that somehow I am not worthy,
and even if I give my all,
my all will not be good enough.

This fear is unfair to my friend.
It is unfair to my Self.
And it smacks the face of God
who has told me to have faith,
that our love and friendship
are meant to last lifetimes.

Yet the fears persist,
and they block my heart
from feeling her love
and seeing her smile.

So I reach out in need
to see her in person,
to be in the presence of her love
so powerful and strong
that no fear can block it
from reaching my heart.

The lesson I must learn
is to open my heart
in spite of my fear,
and feel her love and commitment
even when she is not present.

Only then can I be a true friend
with unconditional faith
in the permanence of our love.

Until that time
I pray that she will understand
the frailties of a heart
that has seen so much pain.
I know deep inside
in a space not clouded with fear,
that she will.