Sunday, April 19, 2009

Unity

Most wedding ceremonies have traditional elements woven into their fabric. It might be the long white bridal gown or maybe it's the exchanging of rings. There are certain things we expect to see when we attend a wedding: bridesmaids and groomsmen, bouquets of flowers, wedding cake and garters.

Twelve years ago today I walked down the aisle to my beloved. We declared our love for one another before family and friends, and entered into a covenant ordained by God. We exchanged rings and pledged faithfulness until death parts us in this life. We lit a unity candle representing our desire to leave our parents and to cleave to one another in all things.

I chose a very simple, ivory pillar for our unity candle. There is nothing really special about it...you can buy a hundred just like it at your nearest craft store. It's a bit dented and worn from all of our moves, and it tends to get a bit dusty because it is seldom used. But every year on our anniversary, we light our unity candle again. We light it to remind us that we are in this marriage for the long haul, and that we have forsaken all others in order to be as one. We are united in love and mutual respect, and lighting that candle each year just reminds me of how lucky I am to have found my soul mate.

Statistics prove that not everyone is so fortunate, and the knowledge that God blessed me with Trevor just overwhelms me sometimes. I have a best friend for life. Someone to whom I can confide my deepest, darkest secrets without fear, and from whom I never have to hide anything. He is the one person in the world who is always on my side, even when I'm wrong. He loves and cherishes me, and he makes my life complete.
So today I celebrate both the goodness of God for giving him to me, and the gift that is my marriage. Happy anniversary Trevor!

14 comments:

Heather C said...

I love that you light the unity calendar each year on your anniversary! What a cool idea! Happy Anniversary, Xandra... :)

luvmy4sons said...

Happy,happy anniversary to you both! Love the pics!

Lisa said...

Happy anniversary!!!

Jill said...

It is so great for you to describe your love for you man in this manner. One of my deepest desires of finding a husband was to know that I would have someone in my corner FOREVER. God is so good.

A Stone Gatherer said...

I too am blessed with my soul mate! I love how God brought us together! I hope you guys had a very wonderful anniversary!

Mel said...

Happy Anniversary!!! and what gorgeous photos.

Mocha with Linda said...

Happy Anniversary, sweet friend!! Beautiful photos, and I know they're just a mere glimpse of the beauty of that day!

Karen said...

You and Trevor are truly blessed. The unity candle is a beautiful tradition. I'm not sure why we didn't have one, I guess it's just wasn't part of our church's service. We still have the champagne glasses from our wedding and toast with them each year. Somehow, that doesn't seem as spiritual though, if you know what I mean.

Lovely post. Happy Anniversary to both of you!

Bethany said...

Happy anniversary! (and your blog looks great!)

Carrie @ Cottage Cozy said...

Happy Anniversary to you both. Blessings for many more years!

Stay Cozy,
Carrie

TammieFay said...

Happy Anniversary! Praising God with you for a good man. He's blessed me with one too!

Mary@notbefore7 said...

Happy Anniversary! Congrats on 12 years!!!!

Angela Nazworth said...

Happy Anniversary and what a beautiful tradition.

Kate said...

Happy Anniversary. How sweet that you still incorporate the unity candle into your celebrations each year.