12 Years

Doug and I got married on Christmas Day, 12 years ago. We were married by a Unitarian minister, Don Fielding, at my parents' house in Texas. Doug's brother Sam was there, my bud Triana and her mom were there, and my parents and sisters and grandmother were there. Then a couple of days later we drove a U-Haul with our cat Merlot to live and work in Tampa, Florida. Note: it is hard to get a hotel room on New Year's Eve. We slept in the U-Haul on our second night on the road. Good times.

Our wedding contained these verses from The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran:

You were born together, and together you shall be forevermore. You shall be together when the white wings of death scatter your days. Ay, you shall be together even in the silent memory of God. But let there be spaces in your togetherness and let the winds of the heavens dance between you. Love one another, but make not a bond of love. Let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls.

Fill each other's cup but drink not from one cup, give one another of your bread but eat not from the same loaf.

Sing and dance together and be joyous but let each one of you be alone. Even as the strings of a lute are alone though they quiver with the same music.

Give your hearts, but not into each other's keeping, for only the hand of Life can contain your hearts, and stand together yet not too near together: for the pillars of the temple stand apart, and the oak and the cypress grow not in each other's shadow.

I love you, Douglas. Thank you for being my wonderful partner in life. I know we will be together forevermore.