Two Years

Photo by LVL Photography

It's hard to believe that we'll be celebrating our second anniversary on Sunday, July 11. And two years later, we love to kiss, much to Katie and Jonathan's chagrin!

I heard this quote from the church father Tertullian at a family conference I attended last spring. I'm happy to say that it fittingly describes my life with Henry. Happy anniversary, my dear husband.

How beautiful, then, the marriage of two Christians, two who are one in hope, one in desire, one in the way of life they follow, one in the religion they practice.

They are as brother and sister, both servants of the same Master. Nothing divides them, either in flesh or in Spirit. They are in very truth, two in one flesh; and where there is but one flesh there is also but one spirit.

They pray together, they worship together, they fast together; instructing one another, encouraging one another, strengthening one another.

Side by side they face difficulties and persecution, share their consolations. They have no secrets from one another, they never shun each other's company; they never bring sorrow to each other's hearts . . .  Psalms and hymns they sing to one another.

Hearing and seeing this, Christ rejoices. To such as these He gives His peace. Where there are two together, there also He is present, and where He is, there evil is not.

A Year in the Life . . .

This was us, a year ago on Saturday. While the year has blissfully flown by, it feels like I've been married to my dear Henry forever--in a good way, in the way that you can't really remember what life was like before. What a happy day--the day I became Mrs. Gysen. Happy first anniversary to us!

Many waters cannot quench love; rivers cannot wash it away. If one were to give all of his house for love, it would be utterly scorned. ~Song of Songs 8:6

There is no more lovely, friendly and charming relationship, communion or company than a good marriage. ~Martin Luther

Come, let's be a comfortable couple and take care of each other! How glad we shall be, that we have somebody we are fond of always, to talk to and sit with. ~Charles Dickens

[W]hen you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible. ~Nora Ephron, When Harry Met Sally

Love, how did I find you?
Was I even breathing before I knew your name?
Who could ever have planned this?
Arranged a whole planet to all turn out this way.
Hey, only Heaven knows
The dreams behind these things I'm asking
Even our angels look surprised
To bump their wings in passing
I love you
How can I say,
I love you
Let the words escape
Though you snuck up behind me
I thought I was hiding
But oh how I fell for you
~Chris Rice, "Let the Words Escape"

*photo by LVL Photography

My Valentine

In honor of Valentine's Day, this is some of the best stuff I've ever read:

To My Dear and Loving Husband

If ever two were one, then surely we.
If ever man were lov'd by wife, then thee.
If ever wife was happy in a man,
Compare with me, ye women, if you can.
I prize thy love more than whole Mines of gold
Or all the riches that the East doth hold.
My love is such that Rivers cannot quench,
Nor ought but love from thee give recompence.
Thy love is such I can no way repay.
The heavens reward thee manifold, I pray.
Then while we live, in love let's so persever
That when we live no more, we may live ever.

~Anne Bradstreet, 1612-1672

Happy Valentine's Day! Kiss someone you love!

*photo by Judy Grothause

Wedding Moments: The License

So many bloggable topics--the economy, politics, King David's wife Abigail (a future post)--but we just got the CD and rights to all of our wedding photos last week, so for me, this is definitely much more interesting than either the economy or politics and less time consuming than Abigail for now.

This is one of my favorite shots, because when I see it, all of the memories of that moment come back to me. I had come up with the brilliant idea of having our guests greet us out on the lawn of the church rather than have a traditional receiving line, and I had encouraged my wedding party and some of my guests that I knew well to head on over to the reception rather than stand around outside. But it ended up being a beautiful evening to be outside, so guests did linger.

After they had all headed over to the reception, someone reminded us that we needed to sign the license. Julie, my matron of honor, had already gone to the reception, but my minister, his wife, our best man, our photographer, and Henry and me, of course, remained behind to go into the council room and sign the license. While our guests were enjoying punch, fruit and vegetables, cheese and crackers, and, apparently, some of the warm food, we waited as my pastor's wife filled out--by hand--three copies of the marriage license, which Henry and I and our best man then signed.

We were excited, tired, hot, hungry, and giddy with happiness while we waited for Bev to finish writing. At one point, Henry reached over and grabbed my hand, and our photographer, Leda, quickly snapped this shot. Most of the pictures that feature my hands don't look very nice; we had just moved the week before, and my knuckles were scraped. This black and white shot doesn't show the scrapes, and it captures one of the happy moments of the day.