Our 12 Year Anniversary!

The Hands of a Bride and Groom

Beloved Bride:
Please take your groom's hands in yours:
These are the hands, young and strong and vibrant with love, that held yours today at your Wedding Mass as he promised to love you all the days of his life.
These are the hands that, God willing, you will place with expectant joy beneath your heart one day until he, too, feels his child stir within your womb. These are the hands that look so large and clumsy now, yet will be so gentle when he holds your baby for the first time.
These are the hands that will work long hours to earn the money for you and your family. These are the hands that will get nicked and bruised from fixing things around the house to make you more comfortable.
These are the hands that will caress your body throughout the years, to make the passion of love come alive in you.
These are the hands that will countless times wipe tears from your eyes, tears of sorrow and tears of joy.
These are the hands that will tenderly lift your chin and brush your cheek, as they raise your face to look into his eyes, eyes that will be filled completely with his overwhelming love and desire for you.
Beloved Groom:
Please take your bride's hands in yours:
These are the hands that held yours today as she gave you her pledge to love you, and accepted your ring at your Wedding Mass.
These are the hands that are smooth and young and carefree now, but will become lined and rougher in the years ahead, from thousands of dishes washed, tons of laundry cleaned, and hundreds of meals prepared.
These are the hands that, God willing, will hold you in the joy and excitement, each time she says you are to have another child, that together you have created new life. These are the hands that will hold each child in tender love, soothing them through illness, disciplining them, diapering them, baking for them, praying for them, and wringing themselves in worry when trouble comes.
Perhaps these are the hands that will comfort you when you are told you cannot have a child and will convince you that together you can create new life in other ways.
These are the hands that through the years will caress your body in the passion of love. These are the hands that will tenderly hold your face and wipe tears from your eyes, in wonder and awe that you would cry for her.
Beloved Newly Weds:
These are the hands of the Sacrament of Matrimony. These four hands are your armor and shield against the evils of the world. These four hands are part of God's Plan for renewing His Church. These hands can reach out to the lonely and discouraged, bring hope to the destitute in mind and body, heal the abused and hurting children of the world, and teach your friends of wonders of married love. These hands are the hope of a troubled humanity. For these are the hands that can change the world. God Bless you today and each day of your married life.
This is the prayer we had our special friends say at our Wedding Mass. (thank you Jim and Bonnie!) It still makes me cry when I read it. So many of those things have happened and come true. We also said our Vows on the Crucifix. (I can post it if anyone is interested) The Crucifix we used came from Medjugorje and hangs in our home today.
I met my husband almost 13 years ago (January 13th). We were set up on a blind date. My now sister in law set us up. I was working at a Montessori school and she was a teacher there and dating Tom's brother. They both wanted me to meet "Tom". I was not interested at all. She must have mentioned his name every day, until finally, New Years Eve I went on a blind date with another man and had fun and thought "what the heck, I'll go". The other man went out of town on business expecting to come back and go out again, but I went out with Tom and he's the last man I dated. Tom called and we talked a little while and found out our birthdays were only a day apart (mine is Sept 9th) and set up a date. He showed up and my first thought was "Wow, you are tall!" (a whole foot taller than me at 6'6")
I was not really wanting anything serious having gone through a divorce and waiting for my annulment to finalize, so I laid it all on him, Angels, Eucharistic Adoration, the Sacraments, Medjugorje, Miracles, you name it. I thought he'd get bored and not call back, but he loved it and we talked until 3 in the morning. He ended up having a huge conversion back to the faith and we fell in love.
Met January 13
Engaged March 29
Married December 20, 1996
Our song was Always Forever by Donna Lewis. It was popular when we were dating!


Married before digital time, so sorry for the glare in the pictures. We had little money when we married and had a very small wedding. Immediate family and a few very close friends brought about 30 people there. (See, I used to be thin!)

I made the flowers and designed the dress that a seamstress sewed for $100! We married during Advent so purple was appropriate and matched the church!

My sister was my Maid of Honor and only bridesmaid. Tom had his 2 brothers as his Best Men.

Lord, please bless our marriage and pour your graces onto our Sacrament of Matrimony. Thank you for this wonderful man who I love always forever.

***Click on the photos and you can see them much more clear***