Annabell

Irish Blessing

May the road rise to meet you,
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
The rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of his hand.

May God be with you and bless you;
May you see your children's children.
May you be poor in misfortune,
Rich in blessings,
May you know nothing but happiness
From this day forward.

May the road rise to meet you
May the wind be always at your back
May the warm rays of sun fall upon your home
And may the hand of a friend always be near.

May green be the grass you walk on,
May blue be the skies above you,
May pure be the joys that surround you,
May true be the hearts that love you.

True Love ~Author Unknown

True love is a sacred flame
That burns eternally
And none can dim its special glow
Or change its destiny
True love speaks in tender tones
And hears with gentle ear
True love gives with open heart
And true love conquers fear
True love makes no harsh demands
It neither rules nor binds
And true love holds with gentle hands
The heart that it entwines

Marriage ~ Author Unknown

A marriage is a promise
That two hearts gladly make
A promise to be tender
To help, to give and take
A marriage is a promise
To be kind and understanding
To be thoughtful and considerate
Fair and undemanding
A marriage is a promise
To share one life together
A love-filled promise meant to be
Kept lovingly forever

The Art of Marriage ~ Author Unknown

A good marriage must be created,
In marriage, the little things are the big things.
It is never being too old to hold hands.
It is remembering to say “I love you” at least once a day.
It is never going to sleep angry.
It is having a mutual sense of values and common objectives.
It is standing together and facing the world.
It is forming a circle of love that gathers in the whole family.
It is speaking words of appreciation and demonstrating gratitude in thoughtful ways.
It is having the capacity to forgive and forget.
It is giving each other an atmosphere in which each can grow.
It is a common search for the good and the beautiful.
It is not only marrying the right person –
It is being the right partner.

Taken from The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran

Love one another, but make not a bond of that love.
Let it rather be like a moving sea between the shores of your souls.
And stand together, and yet not too near together.
For even the pillars of the temple must stand apart;
and the oak tree and the cypress will not grow in each other’s shadow.
Remember that love gives nothing but from itself.
Love possesses not, nor would it be possessed,
for love is sufficient unto love.
And think not that you can direct the course of love.
For love, if it finds you worthy, will direct your course.

Kahlil Gibran on Marriage

Taken from The Prophet

Then Almitra spoke again and said, And what of Marriage, Master?

And he answered saying:
You were born together, and together you shall be forever more.
You shall be together when the white wings of death scatter your days.
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.

These words can be said by each Quarter, or spoken by one person as a reading

Blessed be this union with the gifts of the East.
Communication of the heart, mind, and body
Fresh beginnings with the rising of each Sun.
The knowledge of the growth found in the sharing of silences.

Blessed be this union with the gifts of the South.
Warmth of hearth and home
The heat of the heart's passion
The light created by both to illuminate the darkest of times.

Blessed be this union with the gifts of the West.
The deep commitments of the lake The swift excitement of the river
The refreshing cleansing of the rain
The all encompassing passion of the sea.

Blessed be this union with the gifts of the North
Firm foundation on which to build
Fertility of the fields to enrich your lives
A stable home to which you may always return.

Celtic Wedding Blessing

May (God/Goddess/Spirit) be with you and bless you.
May you see your children's childrren.
May you be poor in misfortune, rich in blessings,
May you know nothing but happiness.
From this day forward.

A Marriage ~ by Mark Twain

Makes of two fractional lives
A whole
It gives to two purposeless lives
A work, and doubles the strength
Of each to perform it
It gives to two
Questioning natures
A reason for living
And something to live for
It will give a new gladness
To the sunshine
A new fragrance to the flowers
A new beauty to the earth
And a new mystery to life.

The Blessing Of The Apaches

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 you
For each of you will be companion to the other
Now you are two bodies
But there is only one life before you
Go now to your dwelling place
To enter into the days of your togetherness
And may your days be good, and long, upon the earth

Apache Blessing 2

Treat yourselves and each other with respect,
And remind yourselves often of what brought you together.
Give the highest priority to the tenderness,
Gentleness and kindness that your connection deserves.
When frustration, difficulties and fear assail your relationship,
As they threaten all relationships at one time or another,
Remember to focus on what is right between you,
Not only the part which seems wrong.
In this way, you can ride out the storms
When clouds hide the face of the sun in your lives --
Remember that even if you lose sight of it for a moment,
The sun is still there.
And if each of you takes responsibility for the quality of your life together,
It will be marked by abundance and delight.

I Corinthians 13

Love is patient;  love is kind.
Love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude.  
It does not insist on its own way: it is not irritable or resentful; 
it does not rejoice in wrong doing, but rejoices in truth.
Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.  
And now faith, hope, and love abide, 
and the greatest of these is love.