Hard to believe its been five years since we stood on the stone patio of the Plantation House, at the base of St. Lucia's Pitons, and Will recited his beautiful, heart-warming, eloquently-written vows...Maggie,
I promise to love and care for you and to continue to develop and perfect my ability to consider your needs as if they were my own. I promise to place our needs at the head of the trail so they will guide me and my decisions in our new life together. I promise to give us 100% and to value our unity and marriage, attacking the betterment of our bond with vigor and hard-work, mixed with a life-giving sense of humor. I am truly excited to be part of a new, stronger united us. Thank you for allowing me to combine my life and soul with yours and thank you for being you: The wonderful Maggie who I can now become one with to form and mold into the ultimate friendship.
I truly look forward to the next 50 years of our journey, with this new baby (and maybe more) in tow. Though I know the road may be rough at times, I have no doubt that our combined strength will allow us to overcome any challenge we face. As I said five years ago:
Will,
You are my best friend and the love of my life. I love your quiet intelligence, quirky and smart sense of humor, compassion and openness to all things new. I admire your patience, fierce determination to always better yourself and your ability to see the brighter side of life. You teach me to cherish family and nurture friendships. You challenge me to always be kind, understanding and honest. And you remind me not to sweat the small stuff. You are a part of me - an essential element to who I am - and I cannot imagine life without you.
Today, in front of family and while surrounded by the spirits of loved ones, I pledge my life to you. I promise to be true to you. To love, comfort, respect and support you. I promise to bring strength, joy and commitment to our marriage and our new family. I accept that life is not a fairytale but I promise to devote myself to making the rough times a lesson in communication and a way to strengthen our bond. Don't worry. There will be plenty of laughter as well. An amazing future lies ahead, filled with discovery. I promise you, Will, the adventure has just begun.
Right now, that last line seems very apropos.
To my best friend, I love you. Happy five years.
