Today, I wed.

My marriage will not bring love,

It is brought by it.

My love does not change the world,

It changes me.

It does not cure my ills,

But it enables my living with them.

Love is the font and source of life.

It is the power the underlies all powers.

It is the strength that falters last.

When dedication and principle and reason fail,

Love remains.

So it is between two people.

Her strength to support me may falter,

But the love that drives her will does not.

My will to hold fast in adversity may waver,

But the love that binds me to her does not.

I know not if our love will last forever.

But I cannot imagine it failing.

I know not if we will overcome adversity.

But I know we are stronger together than apart.

Shy not from love, lest you miss the wonder of its beauty.

Seek not urgently for love, lest you find only its mirage.

And remember: love is its own reward.

Written March 2018