December 21, 2013

These are the vows Devon and I said to each other tonight. I cannot express the calmness I now have in my heart. My mind is filled with things to do, change name with social security, drivers license and so forth. Yet, I find myself at an odd calm I have not felt in years. I do not often look towards the future as a side effect of my PTSD, but right now the emotion I feel tells me everything will be OK. After all, if it's not OK, its not the end.

I had just a small amount of company, A Wiccan Priestess, Janeille H, the photographer, Chris Finnan the Best man, and my cousin Koda T as the brides maid. Our daughter Alohinani was also present, she walked mommy down the isle; which was actually up the stairs that we had lite with candles. It was just a small wedding but I will forever hold this day in my heart. And next year when we are at home in Hawaii with my mother and daddy, it will still be very special because then they too will be in attendance. But for now I couldn't ask for any more. I am happy. It sounds weird coming out of my mouth, but at the same time it is soothing. I AM HAPPY.

The finally happy,

 Mrs. Leilani L. Albertson

When you love someone, you do not love them all the time in exactly the same way, from moment to moment. It is an impossibility. It is even a lie to pretend to. And yet this is exactly what most of us demand. We have so little faith in the ebb and flow of life, of love and of relationships. We leap at the flow of the tide and resist in the terror of the ebb. We are afraid it will never return.

We insist on permanency, on duration, on continuity, when the only continuity possible, in life as in love, is in growth, in fluidity, in freedom. The only real security is not in owning or possessing, not in demanding or expecting, not in hoping, even. Security in a relationship lies neither in looking back to what was in nostalgia, not forward to what it might be in dread or anticipation, but living in the present relationship and accepting it as it is now.

Devon and Leilani, know now before you go further that since your lives have crossed in this life, you have formed eternal bonds. As you seek to enter this state of matrimony you should strive to make real ideals that give meaning to this ceremony and to the sanctity of marriage. With full awareness, know that within this circle you are declaring your intent before your friends and family as witnesses. The promises made today and the ties that are bound here greatly strengthen your union and will cross the years and lives of each soul’s growth.

Devon and Leilani, will you share in each other’s pain and seek to alleviate it?

 We will

And so the binding is made.

Devon and Leilani, will you share in each other’s laughter and look for the brightness and the positive in each other?

 We will

And so the binding is made.

Devon and Leilani, will you share in each other’s burdens so that your spirits may grow in this union?

 We will

And so the binding is made.

Devon and Leilani, will you share in each other’s dreams and honor each other as an equal in this union?

We will.

And so the binding is made.

Devon and Leilani, as your hands are bound together now, so your lives and spirits are joined in a union of love and trust. The bond of marriage is not formed by these cords, but rather by the vows you have made. For always you hold in your own hands the fate of this union. Above you are stars and below you is earth. Like stars your love should be a constant source of light, and like the earth, a firm foundation from which to grow.

May these hands be blessed this day. May they always hold each other. May they have the strength to hang on during the storms of stress and the dark of disillusionment. May they remain tender and gentle as they nurture each other in their wondrous love. May they build a relationship founded in love, and rich in caring. May these hands be healer, protector, shelter, and guide for each other.

As above, so below, mote it be.

I will now ask you to seal the vows you share with each other by the giving and receiving of rings. The perfect circle of the ring symbolizes eternity. The precious metal came from the ground as a rough ore and was heated and purified, shaped and polished. Something beautiful was made from raw elements. Love is like that. It comes from humble beginnings, made by imperfect beings. It is the process of making something beautiful where there was once nothing at all.

I, Devon Albertson, take you Leilani Wilcox, to be my wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish as long as we both shall live.

Leilani, take this ring as a sign of my commitment and fidelity to you.

I, Leilani Wilcox, take you Devon Albertson to be my husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish as long as we both shall live.

Devon, take this ring as a sign of my commitment and fidelity to you.

Devon and Leilani, I would ask that you both remember to treat yourself and each other with dignity and respect; to remind yourself often of what brought you together today. Give the highest priority to the tenderness, gentleness and kindness that your marriage deserves. When frustration and difficulty assail your marriage focus on what still seems right between you, not only the part that seems wrong. This way, when clouds of trouble hide the sun in your lives and you lose sight of it for a moment, you can remember that the sun is still there. And if each of you will take responsibility for the quality of your life together, it will be marked by abundance and delight.

With @Montana Aingeal   and @Koda Todd