As the soft music plays, the flowers fall, and the bride walks down the aisle with hundreds of eyes on her, we tend to forget that the action taking place is not only one of spiritual significance, but also of legal significance. I, (name), take you (name), to be my lawfully wedded (husband/wife), to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from this day forward until death do us part. (The ball and chain pictured, often a euphemism for marriage, is placed there to show the binding legality … [Read more...]
Examining the Wedding Vows – “I take you to be my…”
It being Valentine’s Day tomorrow, Eric and I decided to do something special and we’re very excited to share this with you. We’re going to start a series here at PreEngaged on examining the traditional wedding vows. Over the next several posts, we'll cover these vows step-by-step. So, share these posts and invite your friends to discuss these words here at PreEngaged – they are some of the most important words humans ever speak. While there are several variations of wedding vows used in wedding ceremonies nowadays, the traditional wedding vows go something like this: I, (name), take you … [Read more...]
God’s Amazing Orchestration of Love
My in-laws came by for a while last Saturday and spending time with them got me to thinking about how their relationship came together. Having lost their spouses to cancer several years prior, my husband's father and step-mother met and married the same year Eric and I were married. It was an exciting year for our family! About a month after Eric and I got married, I came into work extremely tired. My co-worker asked me why I was dragging into work and I replied that my father-in-law called us late at night and we were up late talking. I remarked to her that it would be nice if he met a … [Read more...]
Shut Up and Listen
The older I get, the more I realize how much people appreciate being heard. I remember some people from my childhood that had a reputation for talking incessantly. They always seemed to be talking to someone, but rarely did people seek them out. They usually had to chase people down to talk to them. I also remember several quiet, meek, sweet people who were always in a conversation. Some would wait in line for a chance to talk to these people. It took a long time for me to realize that these ladies and gentlemen were not popular simply because they were pleasant to talk to - they were … [Read more...]
Do You Need a Shift in Perspective?
Whether a person seems fat or not can be based solely on who he or she is standing beside in line. Someone who is considered healthy and fit may look large next to a group of junior gymnasts’ whereas, someone who has a body mass index of 40 and racked with health problems may seem small standing in a crowd of people trying out for The Biggest Loser. Perspective is powerful. Earlier in our marriage, I had some concerns about our relationship. According to my ideal image of what every healthy marriage should look like, I felt Eric and I were lacking in some areas and it deeply concerned … [Read more...]
- « Previous Page
- 1
- …
- 199
- 200
- 201
- 202
- 203
- …
- 241
- Next Page »