One Year Anniversary

At my 19th birthday party (in the 70s)

One sweet year of marriage. Ah, what can I say. Hannah has been my rudder, my joy, my passion. She is my love guru, my gracious ear. She knows me, laughs at me, teaches me and carves me into a more authentic myself. She is a wondrously intelligent and strong person.

She pulls me away from my useless distractions

Back into the now- the present reality to be savoured, the little things to be enjoyed.

............................

One of the most profound texts I've ever come across is Hannah's vows. Her words haunt me to this day with their depth of thought, realism and utter Hannahness. Here they are (with her permission).

"I promise to trust God and seek to live in the life that Jesus gives to us- from that place I want to serve you; to honour, trust, respect and cherish you as a gift from God for however long he decides. It is a privilege to become your wife.

I want our marriage to be one that is steeped in grace. Because of this I will seek to live humbly before God, asking Him to guide me.

I desire to see you for yourself - not as an extension of myself or as an object that orbits around me.

I desire to listen to you when you speak; to hear what you are saying, not what i think you are saying.

I know our differences will sometimes drive us crazy, so I promise to remember how these differences endeared you to me and seek to celebrate them, not try to change you.

I want you to pursue your dreams, your goals, and your hopes. I promise to support you in these and your decisions and to challenge you at times if I don't agree.

I want to love you in the hard times and seek not to control you when life is difficult, but let those situations grow us.

I promise to stay true to myself and in doing so, be true to you.

I promise to work at staying open and honest with you; to let you in to the places within myself that I am scared to show.

I want to learn to see myself honestly, to listen to God and be defined by who I am in Him.

I desire to not demand or expect more from you than you can give, and to seek to find my wholeness in God.

I promise to hold you to what you promise me, and let you do the same - I promise to own when I am wrong and seek to live in an atmosphere of forgiveness with you.

I promise to keep laughing with you and at you, to keep having fun and going on adventures with you.

I promise to not become an adult who can't see a boa constrictor eating an elephant.

I look forward to making love with you and having children with you.

I desire to never leave you or betray you - you are the most important person in the world to me.

I promise to make my home with you wherever we are.

I know I will not live this perfectly but I seek for Christ to live this through me.

I want to grow in loving you and knowing you for the rest of our lives together,

Sam, I love you, and I give myself to you".

Yia!