Deborah Chaplin Civil Celebrant

by Rebecca W.

You are not the air that I breathe,

You are the sweet scent that drifts upon it

You are not the sounds that I hear,

You are the music of my life

You are not the food that I need,

You are the nourishment of my soul

You are not my will to survive

You are my reason for living

It is with you that I experience the wonders of the world

It is with you that I triumph over the challenges in my path

It is your partnership that will lead me to the fulfillment of my dreams

It is your friendship that guides me as I learn and grow.

It is your patience and wisdom that calms my restless nature

It is through you that I know my true self

I do not take you for granted, I cherish you

I do not need you, I choose you

I choose you today in witness of all the people who love us

I choose you tomorrow in the privacy of our hearts

I choose you in strength and weakness

I choose you in health and in sickness

I choose you in joy and sorrow

I will choose you, over all others,

every day for all the days of my life

"How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.

I love thee to the depth and breadth and height

My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight

For the ends of being and ideal Grace.

I love thee to the level of every day's

Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.

I love thee freely, as men strive for right;

I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise.

I love thee with the passion put to use

In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith.

I love thee with a love I seemed to lose

With my lost saints, - I love thee with the breath,

Smiles, tears, of all my life! - and, if God choose,

I shall but love thee better after death."

by Sir Edwin Arnold (1832-1904)

"Somewhere there waiteth in this world of ours

For one lone soul another lonely soul,

Each choosing each through all the weary hours

And meeting strangely at one sudden goal.

Then blend they, like green leaves with golden flowers,

Into one beautiful and perfect whole;

And life's long night is ended, and the way

Lies open onward to eternal day."

"This day I married my best friend

...the one I laugh with as we share life's wonderous zest,

as we find new enjoyments and experience all that's best.

...the one I live for because the world seems brighter

as our happy times are better and our burdens feel much lighter.

...the one I love with every fiber of my soul.

We used to feel vaguely incomplete, now together we are whole."

"Today I Married My Best Friend"

"Today I married my best friend,

Our bond complete, it hath no end,

We share one soul, we share one heart,

A perfect time - a perfect start.

With these rings we share together,

Love so close to last forever,

This special day - two special hearts,

Let nothing keep this love apart."

"When you are old and grey and full of sleep,

And nodding by the fire, take down this book,

And slowly read, and dream of the soft look

Your eyes had once, and of their shadows deep;

How many loved your moments of glad grace,

And loved your beauty with love false or true,

But one man loved the pilgrim Soul in you,

And loved the sorrows of your changing face;

And bending down beside the glowing bars,

Murmur, a little sadly, how Love fled

And paced upon the mountains overhead

And hid his face amid a crowd of stars."

Your love is the best thing that
has ever happened to me.
It has given my life new priorities and
meaning and filled it with joy.
Thank you for giving so much of yourself and for helping me to discover
So much about myself too.
Sometimes I think you know me better than I know myself.
When we are together
Love feels so right with you and I miss you so much when we are apart.
I'll always be there for you and together I know
we can make our dreams come true."