We had a lovely little renewal ceremony at the Fire Circle at Forest Life last night. A fire ban forbade an open fire (photo from the original Forest Blessing in 2015,) but we managed to have a nice meal and stated our intentions and thanks in words:
Merf:
Nine years ago, our lives changed forever. In truth, we knew that change had already begun, but our Forest Blessing on that special day sealed it in our hearts.
We celebrated in a place we loved deeply, surrounded by family and friends who meant so much to us. The Forest was our home, our refuge, our sanctuary. It held our memories then, just as it holds them now.
Today, our home here among the trees, in our woods besides our river, remains our sanctuary. It is the place where we find peace, strength, and belonging.
We gather once again in a simple ceremony to celebrate the life we have built together, to renew our vows, and to reaffirm a love and friendship that need no reminder, yet deserve every celebration.
I love you more deeply than ever, and I always will. Together, we are living our best life, and we will continue to do so, meeting whatever challenges and adventures may come our way with the same love, courage, and companionship that have brought us this far. Fortis in Arduis.
We are guardians of this place we cherish, and in return the Forest watches over us, shelters us, and protects us.
Today, as nine years ago, I am grateful beyond words that our paths joined beneath its trees, and that we continue this journey together.
Diem:
Nine years.
Nine years of choosing you,
of laughing with you, arguing with you,
getting lost with you, finding our way again,
and somehow deciding that wherever we are,
that’s where we are meant to be.
I don’t promise you that life will always be easy.
I promise I’ll be there when it isn’t.
I’ll hold your hand when the path gets steep,
stand beside you when things feel uncertain,
and remind you, when you forget,
that we’ve got this.
Because we do.
We have created something together
that is much bigger than the two of us.
homes
sanctuaries
little corners of the world that we get to care for.
But I know it doesn’t really belong to us.
We are simply passing through it for a while,
trying to leave it a little better than we found it.
And perhaps that’s what marriage is too.
Not owning each other.
Not trying to change each other.
But being custodians of one another’s hearts.
Listening.
Really listening.
Even when I’m distracted.
Even when you are not wearing your electric ears.
Even when I’m talking complete nonsense
and you’re wondering whether I’ve finally turned into a mushroom.
I promise to keep listening for the things you don’t always say.
The quiet things.
The little vibrations beneath the surface.
The things that only we understand.
I promise to celebrate your ideas,
even the ridiculous ones.
To encourage your adventures,
even when I’m secretly thinking
this could go spectacularly wrong.
And when my own ideas are running wild,
I trust you to help me find the broom,
sweep away the chaos
and make sense of what’s left.
We are not perfect.
Thank goodness.
We are real.
We annoy each other.
We challenge each other.
We occasionally completely misunderstand each other.
But underneath all of that
is something I never want to lose:
We are best friends.
You are the person I want beside me
when something wonderful happens.
And the person I want beside me
when everything goes completely to shit.
You are the person I want to wake up next to
and the person I want to tell
about the stupid little thing I noticed
five minutes later.
I promise not to spend our life worrying
about what other people think.
We don’t need their permission
to live our life our way.
Our journey belongs to us.
So let’s relax a little.
Let’s stop trying to know exactly where we’re going.
Let’s explore.
Let’s get lost.
Let’s sit under the stars
and remember that, in the grand scheme of things,
none of it matters quite as much as we think it does.
And we are still creating the memories.
Nine years married
and I still choose you.
I choose your hand.
Your laugh.
Your madness.
Your kindness.
Your ridiculous ideas.
Your brilliant ones too.
I choose the forests and rivers,
the journeys and the detours,
the quiet mornings and the chaotic ones.
I choose the four Rs:
Relax.
Refresh.
Revive.
Regroup.
And I choose whatever R comes next.
Because I don’t know exactly where this road takes us.
But I know who I want to travel it with.
Our paths are intertwined.
Our adventure isn’t finished.
