**Our anniversary is not officially until Thursday, April, 22nd, but we are leaving for the beach, and I wanted to make sure I had this done so he could see!I, John, take thee, Beth, to be my wedded wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, til death do us part, according to God's Holy ordinance.
I, Beth, take thee, John, to be my wedded husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, til death do us part, according to God's Holy ordinance.
Our Oneness Covenant:
We believe God created marriage to be holy, to exemplify the glorious, eternal marriage between His Son and His church.
We believe our marriage is a sacred and lifelong covenant.
We believe God calls us to pursue unconditional love for each other as modeled by His promise never to leave or forsake us.
Therefore, we the undersigned, pledge to fulfill our marriage vows and pursue oneness. We further pledge to bring glory to God through our sacred permanent marriage, and by calling others to fulfill their marriage vows. We agree to joyfully receive each other as God's perfect gift. 
"Many waters cannot quench love; rivers cannot wash it away."
Song of Solomon 8:7
And then we went to the closest place to heaven here on this earth...
HAWAII! OH, to be there now!!!
I think, no, I
know, when I said "I Do" I was expecting a fairytale story, filled with romance, roses, and nothin' but fun! The only problem is I didn't marry Mr. Romantic. I married John --- God's perfect gift to me. He isn't romantic in the least bit, but he
is caring, tenderhearted, forgiving, and he loves me. And I know he loves me. Which makes it even better! He isn't perfect, but oh my, neither am I! We don't have a perfect life, but God didn't promise us one. We argue, get hurt feelings, forget to say I'm sorry, and we've {I've} been known to get really, really mad. We make mistakes. We mess up. We don't always make the best decision. We lose focus, and time slips by.
But, God didn't create perfect people.
Thankfully He did create perfect
grace and
He shows us a whole lot of it! Therefore, we can show each other the same! I thank God for John! He is my best friend. He is supportive and hard-working. He is faithful and committed. He puts his family's needs first. He is an outstanding father. And just for a bonus, he is very good lookin'! {OR "hexy" as John Luke says!} And I am very proud of him! Now after 4 years, 2 beautiful babies, 2 moves, bills, cancer, bad moods, short tempers, and just plain
life , we have/are learning a lot, but most of all, we still love one another! We made a promise, and we intend to keep it! Not that we don't want to. It just keeps us grounded. I once read that "A promise means no excuses. It was built into your wedding vows. You promised to love and cherish your mate "for better for worse, in sickness and in health, till death do us part." That was your first married promise, and it was
not conditional. It had no term limits or expiration date. It was meant to remain in effect from that moment until one or both of you leave this earth for the kingdom of heaven. That promise was meant to provide a solid base of security for your marriage. Whatever happens, you have promised to love your husband or your wife. It doesn't matter whether you get upset with each other. It doesn't matter if you get bored with the routine. It doesn't matter if the money you expected is not there. It doesn't matter if either of you loses your attractivenss, turns grumpy, sour, or uncommunicative, gets a debilitating illness, or falls into deep depression.
You will love him. You will cherish her. You promised. And that promise gives your marriage security."
Gary Smalley I
L-O-V-E John, and he
L-O-V-E-S ME! I wouldn't change a thing about the promise I made on April 22, 2006 @ 6:00 p.m.! And by God's grace, we'll face the future, wide-eyed, side-by-side, holding hands!
I love you, John! Happy, Happy Anniversary!I can't wait for Thursday! Me and you all alone! Oh my!
