Section 4 ~ Loving

38. A Dance

A good relationship is something like a dance – built on the same rules. Partners in a dance do not need to hold on tightly, because they move in the same patterns, confident in each other. To touch heavily would be to arrest the pattern and freeze the movement – to check if not to stop the beauty of its unfolding. There is no place here for the possessive clutch, the clinging arm, the heavy hand. Only the barest touch in passing is sufficient to carry the deepest wealth of meaning.

Now arm in arm, now face to face, now back to back – it doesn’t matter which. As dancers, they know they are partners responding to the same rhythm, creating a pattern together and being invisibly nourished by it. The joy of such a dance is not only the joy of creating; it is also the joy of living in, and for, the moment. The joy of knowing that lightness of touch and life itself are inter-twined.

39. At My Daughter's Side by Linda Jo

Tomorrow was a lifetime away, now suddenly it's here.
How did it happen so quickly? This wedding drawing near.
How can I act so happy? How can I act so gay?
When in such a very short time, I'll give my daughter away.
I wish I could grasp a moment, and make the clock stand still
So I could let my heart catch up, but I know it never will.
All the worries of being a parent, all the battles won,
No one ever warned me about the day the job is done.
Yet, there is another side, where my heart is not as sad.
When I look in my daughter's eyes, I can't help but be joyful and glad.
This day she has dreamt about, for just about all her life.
She's going to be such a beautiful bride and a loving, caring wife.
I'll stand with the congregation as my daughter walks down the aisle
And even though there are tears in my eyes, my face wll bear a smile.
For I know that I was very blessed when God lent this child to me.
To love and care for and nurture, so she would grow up to be
This lovely, bright young woman, who tomorrow will be a bride
And as always I'll be there, with love at my daughter's side

40. Eskimo Lovesong

You are my husband/wife,
My feet shall run because of you
My feet dance because of you
My heart shall beat because of you
My eyes see because of you
My mind thinks because of you
And I shall love because of you

41. I want to be your friend

I want to be your friend for ever and ever
When the hills are all flat and the rivers are all dry,
when the trees blossom in winter
and the snow falls in summer
when heaven and earth mix –
not till then will I part from you

42. From this day forward

From this day forward,
You shall not walk alone.
My heart will be your shelter,
And my arms will be your home

43. Have you ever

Have you ever met a person
Who made you turn your head.

Have you ever met a person
Who made your heart burn

Have you ever met a person
That let you be you.

Have you ever met a person
That made you feel love true

Have you ever met a person
Who touched you so deep

Have you ever met a person
Without whom you couldn’t sleep.

Have you ever met a person
Who brightened your life

Have you ever met a person
That made you want to be a wife

Have you ever met a person
Whose eyes promise you’ll never be blue

I know I have
Because that person is you.


44. I am Love

Some say I can fly on the wind yet I haven’t any wings.
Some have found me floating on the open sea, yet I cannot swim.
Some have felt my warmth on cold nights, yet I have no flame.
And though you cannot see me, I lay between two lovers at the hearth of fireplaces.
I am the twinkle in your child’s eyes. I am hidden in the lines of your mother’s face.
I am your father’s shield as he guards your home.
And yet…some say I am stronger than steel, yet I am as fragile as a tear.
Some have never searched for me, yet I am around them always.
Some say I die with loss, yet I am endless.
And though you cannot hear me, I dance on the laughter of children.
I am woven in to the whispers of passion.
I am in the blessing of Grandmothers.
And yet…
Some say I am a flower, yet I am also the seed.
Some have little faith in me, and yet I will always believe in them.
Some say I cannot cure ill, yet I nourish the soul.
And though you cannot touch me, I am the gentle hand of the kind.
I am the fingertips caress your cheek at night.
I am the hug of a child.
I am love.”

45. I Promise

I promise to give you the best of myself
and to ask of you no more than you can give.

I promise to respect you as your own person
and to realise that your interests, desires and needs
are no less important than my own.

I promise to share with you my time and my attention
and to bring joy, strength and imagination to our relationship.

I promise to keep myself open to you,
to let you see through the window of my world into my innermost fears
and feelings, secrets and dreams.

I promise to grow along with you,
to be willing to face changes in order to keep our relationship alive and exciting.

I promise to love you in good times and in bad,
with all I have to give and all I feel inside in the only way I know how.
Completely and forever.


46. I Think by Archibald MacLeish

I think we have come out
On the other side
Meaning that we love each other
More than we ever did
When we loved each other

47. I Will Be Here

If in the morning when you wake,
If the sun does not appear,
I will be here.
If in the dark we lose sight of love,
Hold my hand and have no fear,
I will be here.

I will be here,
When you feel like being quiet,
When you need to speak your mind I will listen.
Through the winning, losing, and trying we’ll be together,
And I will be here.

If in the morning when you wake,
If the future is unclear,
I will be here.
As sure as seasons were made for change,
Our lifetimes were made for years,
I will be here.

I will be here,
And you can cry on my shoulder,
When the mirror tells us we’re older.
I will hold you, to watch you grow in beauty,
And tell you all the things you are to me.
We’ll be together and I will be here.
I will be true to the promises I’ve made,

48. Love is born

Love is born with the pleasure of looking at each other
It is fed with the necessity of seeing each other
It is concluded with the impossibility of separation


49. Love is Giving

Love is giving, not taking
mending, not breaking,
trusting, believing,
never deceiving,
patiently bearing,
and faithfully sharing
each joy, every sorrow,
today and tomorrow.

Love is kind, understanding,
but never demanding.
Love is constant, prevailing,
its strength never failing.
A promise once spoken
for all time unbroken,
love's time is for ever

50. Marriage is love

Marriage is love,
walking hand in hand together
It is laughing with each other
about silly little things,
and learning to discuss big things
with care and tenderness.
In marriage, love is trusting each other
when you're apart
It's getting over disappointments and hurts
knowing that these are present
in all relationships.
It is the realisation that
there is no one else in this world
that you'd rather be with
than the one you're married to.
It's thinking of new things to do together.
It's growing old together.
Marriage is being in love for the rest of your life


51. Marriage is …

Marriage is a dynamic process of discovery.
Marriage is a journey, not an arrival.
In marriage, being the right person is as
important as finding the right person.

Marriage is starting to love,
over and over again.
Marriage is a life's work.
Marriage is an art … and like any creative
process,
it requires active thought and effort.

We have to learn how to share on many
different levels.
We need to practice talking from the heart,
and understanding attitudes as well as words.
Giving generously and receiving graciously
are talents that are available to anyone.
But all these skills need to be developed,
if the marriage picture that we paint is to be anything
Approaching the masterpiece intended

52. Marriage joins two people in the circle of its love - By Edmund O'Neill

Marriage is a commitment to life, the best that two people can find and bring out in each other. It offers opportunities for sharing and growth that no other relationship can equal. It is a physical and an emotional joining that is promised for a lifetime.

Within the circle of its 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. And 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, even anger is felt more strongly, and passes away more quickly.
Marriage understands and forgives the mistakes life is unable to avoid. It encourages and nurtures new life, new experiences, and new ways of expressing a love that is deeper than life.
When two people pledge their love and care for each other in marriage, they create a spirit unique unto themselves which binds them closer than any spoken or written words. Marriage is a promise, a potential made in the hearts of two people who love each other and takes a lifetime to fulfil.


53. Oh, the comfort

Oh, the comfort
The inexpressible comfort
Of feeling safe with a person
Having neither to weigh thoughts
Nor measure words
But pour them all out, just as they are
Chaff and grain together
Knowing that a faithful hand will take and sift them
Keep what is worth keeping and then –
With the breath of kindness –
Blow the rest away.

54. On Love ~by Thomas a Kempis

Love is a mighty power, a great and complete good. Love alone lightens every burden, and makes rough places smooth. It bears every hardship as though it were nothing, and renders all bitterness sweet and acceptable. Nothing is sweeter than love, nothing stronger, nothing higher, nothing wider, nothing more pleasant, nothing fuller or better in heaven or earth. Love flies, runs and leaps for joy. It is free and unrestrained. Love knows no limits, but ardently transcends all bounds. Love feels no burden, takes no account of toil, attempts things beyond its strength. Love sees nothing as impossible, for it feels able to achieve all things. It is strange and effective, while those who lack love faint and fail. Love is not fickle and sentimental, nor is it intent on vanities. Like a living flame and a burning torch, it surges upward and surely surmounts every obstacle.

55. Once in a Lifetime

Once in a lifetime you find someone
Who touches not only your heart,
But also your soul.

Once in a lifetime, you discover someone
Who stands beside you, not over you.
You find someone who loves you for
Who you are, not for who you could be.

Once in a lifetime, you find someone…..
As you have found each other

56. Our Family

Our family is a circle of love and strength.
With every birth and every union, the circle grows.
Every joy shared adds more love.
Every obstacle faced together makes the circle stronger.


57. Our Mother

You are the mother I received
The day I wed your son.
And I just want to thank you, Mum
For all the things you've done.
You've given me a gracious man
With whom I share my life.
You are his loving mother and
I his lucky wife.
You used to pat his little head,
And now I hold his hand.
You raised in love a little boy
And gave to me a man.

58. Promises - by Mark Twain

I cannot promise you a life of sunshine;
I cannot promise riches, wealth or gold;
I cannot promise you an easy pathway
That leads away from change or growing old.
But I can promise all my heart’s devotion
A smile to chase away your tears of sorrow;
A love that’s ever true and ever growing;
A hand to hold in yours through each tomorrow.

59. Risk

Ultimately there comes a time when a decision must be made. Ultimately two people who love each other must ask themselves how much they hope for as their love grows and deepens, and how much risk they are willing to take. It is indeed a fearful gamble. Because it is the nature of love to create, a partnership itself is something that has to be created,

To commit to a partner is the biggest risk in human relations that a person can take. If we commit ourselves to one person for life this is not, as many people think, a rejection of freedom; rather it demands the courage to move into all the risks of freedom and the risk of love which is permanent; into that love which is not possession but participation. It takes a lifetime to learn another person.


60. The Loving Heart

Someone may love you because you are clever
Someone may love you because you are wise
Someone may love you for beauty or humour
The fun in your heart, or the light in your eyes.
But if there is one who discovers your failings
And love all the good and bad that is you
This is the love that will last you forever
This is the love that will always be true.

61. The nature of love

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.

62. This Day I Married My Best Friend

This day I married my best friend
...the one I laugh with as we share life's wonderous zest,
as we find new enjoyments and experience all that's best.
...the one I live for because the world seems brighter
as our happy times are better and our burdens feel much lighter.
...the one I love with every fiber of my soul.
We used to feel vaguely incomplete, now together we are whole.

63. What greater thing by George Elliot

What greater thing is there for two human souls
Than to feel that they are joined for life –
To strengthen each other in all labour
To rest on each other in all sorrow
To minister to each other in all pain
And to be with each other
In silent unspeakable memories
At the moment of the last parting


64. To My Bride (shortened version) by Wilferd Arlan Peterson


To my bride, I give you my heart
Sharing love each day, from the very start
To my bride, I give you my kiss
Filling each day with joy and bliss
To my bride, I give you my being
To love, to play, to work and to sing
To my bride, I give you my mind
Learning each day to be more kind
To my bride, I give you my soul
Growing together to be more whole
To my bride, I give you my life
Rejoicing each day that you are my wife.

65. Today

“Today…”
I look into the eyes of my best friend
The one with whom I can share anything with
My deepest hopes and heart-filled dreams
Inner fears and sheltered insecurities
My most warming joys and overwhelming triumphs
All future journeys that I have left to encounter
This and more I know I can share with you

Today…
I take pride in my best friend
With admiration I look upon you and smile
For all that you are and all that you do that makes me so proud
Ever part of you that I have come to adore
And for all those parts I have not yet learned

Today…
I share my soul to my best friend
My most prized possession which no other has been given
I give it with great confidence and trust
Because with you I am at peace and I know with you it is safe
You give me a warmth that I keep with me always
And what else can I give to someone who has given me so much
For you have opened my eyes to see a love, which before you I was blind to


Today…
I am marrying my best friend


66. Today I Married My Best Friend by Rachel Elizabeth Cooper

Today I married my best friend,
Our bond complete, it hath no end,
We share one soul, we share one heart,
A perfect time - a perfect start.
With these rings we share together,
Love so close to last forever,
This special day - two special hearts,
Let nothing keep this love apart.

67. Wedding Day

Now comes the knitting, the tying, entwining into one,
Mysterious involvement of two, whole, separate people
Into something altogether strange and changing, new and lovely.
Nothing can ever be, will never be, the same again
Not merged into each other forever, but rather
From now on to go the same way, in the same direction.
Agreeing not to leave each other lonely, or discouraged, or behind.
Do your best to keep the promises, to treasure each other and keep each other safe
Embrace the strengths and frailties you each bring to this marriage,
And you will be rich indeed

68. What does marriage mean in today's world?

We live in a world where the old-fashioned social pressures to conform have all but gone. No longer does a young woman wait for her husband
to give her a new independence from her parent's home. And society no longer frowns upon couples who choose not to marry.

So why get married at all?

Perhaps when two people decide that, in the absence of these conformities, this is something they actually want to do - for themselves, for their families and for its own sake, that the meaning of marriage has shifted to the same extent as times have moved on. Now, a cynic might say that a piece of paper alone will not guarantee that two people will stay together for life… and a cynic might have a point.

But ridden of any outside pressures, the vows and intentions
are totally pure and unadulterated.

There cannot really be a better guarantee than this.


69. What is Love?

Sooner or later we begin to understand that love is more than verses on valentines and romance in the movies.

We begin to know that love is here and now, real and true, the most important thing in our lives.

For love is a creator of our favourite memories and the foundation of our fondest dreams.

Love is a promise that is always kept, a fortune that can never be spent,
a seed that can flourish in the most unlikely of places.

And this radiance that never fades,this mysterious and magical joy,
is the greatest treasure of all - one known only by those who love

70. What is the beginning? ~ By Christina Rossetti

What is the beginning? Love.
What the course? Love still.
What the goal? The goal is Love.
On a happy hill
Is there nothing then but Love?
Search we sky or earth
There is nothing out of Love
Hath perpetual worth;
All things flag but only Love,
All things fail and flee;
There is nothing left but Love
Worthy you and me.

71. When I look at you now

When I look at you now
I see all the hope and promise of your life together
As the love that was always there in you
grows stronger still.

I see the wonder, the mystery, the miracle of love
and all your dreams waiting to be born.

I see that you’ve learned what it takes to make a relationship work,
and yours does.

Thank you for being you,
and making each other feel so loved,
Because what you have is special,
and together as husband and wife it will only grow.



72. Why Marriage ~ By: Mari Nichols-Haining

Because to the depths of me, I long to love one person,
With all my heart, my soul, my mind, my body...

Because I need a forever friend to trust with the intimacies of me,
Who won't hold them against me,
Who loves me when I'm unlikable,
Who sees the small child in me, and
Who looks for the divine potential of me...

Because I need to cuddle in the warmth of the night

Because marriage means opportunity
To grow in love in friendship...

Because marriage is a discipline
To be added to a list of achievements...

Because marriages do not fail, people fail
When they enter into marriage
Expecting another to make them whole...

Because, knowing this,
I promise myself to take full responsibility
For my spiritual, mental and physical wholeness
I create me,
I take half of the responsibility for my marriage
Together we create our marriage...

Because with this understanding
The possibilities are limitless.