More Beautiful Readings
Article 9 in 9 Wedding Poetry
More Beautiful Readings
We would like to credit and thank the Swedenborgian Church of San Francisco for this collection of readings. It is a beautiful place to be married, and welcomes all faith traditions.
From The Prophet: On Friendship
by Kahil Gibran
Your friend is your needs answered.
He is your field which you sow with love and reap with thanksgiving.
And he is your board and your fireside.
For you come to him with your hunger, and you seek him for peace.
When your friend speaks his mind you fear not the "nay" in your own mind,
nor do you withhold the "ay."
And when he is silent your heart ceases not to listen to his heart;
For without words, in friendship, all thoughts,
all desires, all expectations are born and shared, with joy that is unacclaimed.
When you part from your friend, you grieve not;
For that which you love most in him may be clearer in his
absence, as the mountain to the climber is clearer from the plain.
And let there be no purpose in friendship save the deepening of the spirit.
For love that seeks aught but the disclosure of its own mystery is not love
but a net cast forth: and the only unprofitable is caught.
And let your best be for your friend.
If he must know the ebb of your tide, let him know its flood also.
For what is your friend that you should seek him with hours to kill?
Seek him always with hours to live.
For it is his to fill your need, but not your emptiness.
And in the sweetness of friendship let there by laughter, and sharing of pleasures.
For in the dew of little things the heart finds its morning and is refreshed.
~~~~~~
Desiderata
Go placidly amid the clamor of life, and remember the peace to be found in silence.
Speak your truth quietly, listen to others, but avoid loud and aggressive people who vex the spirit.
Do not compare yourselves with others - there will always be greater and lesser persons and you may become vain and bitter.
Enjoy your achievements as well your plans.
Keep interest in your own careers. They are a real possession.
Be cautious in your affairs, for the world is full of trickery, but do not let this bind you to virtue in others - many strive for high ideals and life is full of heroism.
Be yourselves especially - do not feign affection and do not be cynical about love, for in the face of all greed and disenchantment, love is as perennial as grass.
Grow older, gracefully surrendering the things of yours when the time comes.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
Do not allow yourselves to become distressed by imaginings, many fears come out of fatigue and loneliness.
Have self-discipline but be gentle with yourselves.
You are the children of the Universe, no less than the trees and the stars.
You have a right to be here, and whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the Universe is unfolding as it should.
Therefore, be at peace with God, whatever you conceive him to be and whatever your labors and aspirations.
In the noisy confusion of life, keep peace with your souls and be true to them.
With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is till a beautiful world.
Go honestly. Strive to be happy.
~~~~~~
What is Marriage?
(Anonymous)
What is marriage?
Marriage is more than the exchange of rings
and the sharing of a household;
It is much more than just living together.
It is the desire to truly want to know and
understand another human being;
to feel and share in that person's
happiness, as well as their pain.
Marriage is to never feel alone;
but rather, to know that you always
have a friend; a partner in life that
you can laugh and cry with.
To know that you always have that
special someone to share your
innermost thoughts and fears,
and know that you will be heard.
Marriage is helping your partner to be
the absolute best that they can be,
while still being able to experience
your own need and goals.
Marriage is love;
true love that goes far beyond passion;
It is a love that you can reach for
in times of crisis as well as joy,
and know it will be there
to comfort and to share.
~~~~~~
Sonnet 116
by William Shakespeare
Let me not to the marriage of true minds
Admit impediments . Love is not love
Which alters when it alteration finds,
Or bends with the remover to remove.
Oh no! It is an ever fixed mark
That looks on tempests and is never shaken.
It is the star to every wandering bark,
Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken.
Love's not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks
Within his bending sickle's compass come.
Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,
But bears it out even to the edge of doom .
If this be error and upon me proved,
I never writ, nor no man ever loved.
~~~~~~
Love Is
by Susan Polis Schutz
Love is
being happy for the other person
when they are happy
being sad for the other person when they are sad
being together in good times
and being together in bad times
Love is the source of strength
Love is
being honest with yourself at all times
being honest with the other person at all times
telling, listening, respecting the truth
and never pretending
Love is the source of reality
Love is
an understanding that is so complete that
you feel as if you are a part of the other person
accepting the other person just the way they are
and not trying to change them to be something else
Love is the source of unity
Love is
the freedom to pursue your own desires
while sharing your experience with the other person
the growth of one individual along side of
and together with the growth of another individual
Love is the source of success
Love is
the excitement of planning things together
the excitement of doing things together
Love is the source of the future
Love is
the fury of the storm
the calm of the rainbow
Love is the source of passion
Love is
giving and taking in a daily situation
being patient with each other's needs and desires
Love is the source of sharing
Love is
knowing that the other person
will always be with you regardless of what happens
missing the other person when they are away
but remaining near in heart at al times
Love is the source of security
Love is
the source of life
~~~~~~
Marriage Joins Two People
by Edmund O'Neill
Marriage is a commitment to life
to the best that two people can find
and bring out in each other.
It offers opportunities for sharing and growth
that no other human relationship can equal,
a joining that is promised for a lifetime.
Within the circle of it's love,
marriage encompasses all of life's most important relationships.
A wife and a husband are each other's best friend,
confidant, lover, teacher, listener, and critic.
There may come times when one partner is heartbroken or ailing,
and the love of the other
may resemble the tender caring of a parent for a child.
Marriage deepens and enriches every facet of life.
Happiness is fuller; memories are fresher; commitment is stronger.
Marriage understands and forgives the mistakes life is unable to avoid.
It encourages and nurtures new life, new experiences,
and new ways of expressing love through all seasons of life.
When two people pledge to love and care for each other in marriage
they create a spirit unique to themselves,
which binds them closer that any spoken or written words.
Marriage is a promise, a potential
made in the hearts of two people who love,
which takes a lifetime to fulfill.
~~~~~~
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