Saturday, December 20, 2008

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***


13 comments:

  1. Happy Anniversary! I hope you two had a wonderful getaway. Thanks for the card -- you all need to come over here for some outside fun!

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  2. Dear Jamie,

    Happy Anniversary to you & your hubby! Thank you so much for sharing that prayer with us and your beautiful wedding photos - you are radiant in those photos! What a lovely bride you were!

    Yes, please post the other prayer you mentioned - your cross from Medugorje. I love the Blessed Mother, her Rosary, and Medugorje too. I would love to hear more about your travels to Medugorje, your love for the Blessed Mother and the Rosary, and miracles. Did you see any miracles in Medugorje??

    I have always wanted to travel to Medugorje. I have a lot of the Wayne Weible books and other books about Medugorje. They are my favorite books.

    Did you recieve the snail mail I sent you? I am so glad you are back posting on your blog!

    Merry Christmas to you and your family and Happy New Year! You and your family remain in my thoughts and prayers.

    Love,
    Maria <---still praying for a miracle of my own :)

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  3. "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."

    I just read that beautiful prayer again and found this part. It made me cry because eight months after we were married in 2007, we were told I had severe endometriosis stage 4 and I am probably infertile. I already had one surgery and I'm being sent to another surgeon for possible more surgery in March 2009! I was told the guy who did the first surgery did not do a very good job!

    Question: how can a couple with infertility problems create new life in other ways that are within the teachings of the Catholic church??

    In this cross that God has given us which has brought so many tears, I have learned what a wonderful Catholic man God has given me. My husband remains optimistic we will be blessed with a child while I get sad and discouraged often. My husband has given me a lot of comfort. Jesus and the Blessed Mother have also given me a lot of comfort from praying the rosary.

    Also I have received some blessings. I have been sent some relics and prayer cards of St. Gianna Beretta Molla. Also a very holy priest from a famous Catholic college in the midwest ( He has a ministry praying over couples having trouble conceiving and has a 90 percent success rate) has recently prayed over us on the phone. So we are still praying and still hoping for a miracle.

    Also, I've recieved the blessing of somehow being able to lose twenty three pounds so far and being put on progesterone, which is definitely helping.

    Please pray for us - Ed and Maria N. thank you so much! We really appreciate it!

    Love,
    Maria

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  4. Happy Anniversary, Jamie! I'm so glad you and your hubby could get away for a weekend alone. Honestly, that it probably the best gift that grandparents, friends, or relatives can give a couple - give us time for ourselves. It's so good for the couple and good for the kids, as well. Plus it reminds us why we do what we do! Hope you have an amazing weekend together.

    We have a December wedding, too, on the 31st.

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  5. Happy Anniversary! My 12th is next Wednesday! God bless!

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  6. You were such a beautiful bride and you're still pretty darn cute! I'm excited for you all to have a romantic getaway. Good for you!
    I, too,loved the prayer. It is very moving. Love, Nerm

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  7. I missed the day, but offer many wishes for a wonderful year. What a pretty bride you were (and still are -- you're both still so young!).

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  8. I'm so dern daft! I thought you were posting this stuff on your private blog (you did have one, right?) and the I decided to investigate from a comment you made on my blog . . . and here you are posting again, you wee rascal!! I'm so GLAD!!!!!!!!

    Lovely bride and groom - blossoming into a lovely husband and wife, mother and father. Keep it together for the Kingdom!!

    God bless you both!!

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  9. BTW, loved that prayer read at your wedding!!!! Beautiful and my eyes misted whilst I read them. So lovely.

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  10. Stunning!

    You are so lovely, inside and out!

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  11. Happy Anniversary to you both!! I loved seeing your wedding pictures! You looked beautiful!!

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  12. Happy Anniversary you two! I hope you had a peaceful time away. I was praying for you that night.

    That wedding poem was said at my grandparent's 50th anniversary ceremony. It really is beautiful.

    I still think it is amazing how God brings us together with the love of our life.

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Thank you so much for stopping and commenting!