Tag Archives: Anniversary

Prayer of St. Francis and John Prine and Iris Dement

Our wedding anniversary was a couple of days ago. In the busyness of the last few weeks, winding down supervising student-teachers and dog sitting, it slipped past me, not unaware. Without disclosing which one it is, this a milestone anniversary.

The Prayer of St. Francis is a touchstone in my life and in the family. I refer to it in my writing and presenting. It served as a reading at our wedding and it is used at celebrations of life, particularly in my family.

I remember our wedding day clearly. There were interesting happenings. A friend got off the bus in a town an hour from where we had the wedding. Kathy drove to get him. Although others told us it was bad luck to see each other on our wedding day, we organized going to pick him up. Despite ourselves, the luck has been good as we are together and enjoy each other’s company.

Sitting in the front pew of the church, I heard the organ began to play the wedding song and I rose, shaking like a leaf. When I turned to look at Kathy and her dad, I stopped trembling and understood this was the right person for me.

Kathy and I enjoy music. We attend numerous concerts and our tastes are an eclectic, mix of genres and artists. We had the good fortune to see John Prine before he passed away. He was a singer you could not easily fit in a box with his quirkiness, while singing socially relevant songs. One song we enjoy is this tongue-in-cheek duet with Iris Dement. The night we saw him he sang the male and female parts of the song, adding to the humour.

In spite of ourselves, we found happiness, friendship, and love in our own quirky way.

Marriage

I don’t do this very often; probably not often enough. This poem is for Kathy. It is our anniversary and, in some ways, we are an unlikely couple. I tell people it is me who has to endure her idiosyncrasies and meandering along life’s path. In truth, she was the perfect soul mate for me with patience galore while she waits for me to grow up.

A couple of weeks ago Renard Moreau Presents presented this wonderful poem and I knew I would use it today. Kahlil Gibran wrote Marriage. It is self-explanatory. There are so many remarkable lines and words that say what I cannot.

Then Almitra spoke again and said, ‘And what of Marriage, master?’

And he answered saying:

You were born together, and together you shall be forevermore.

You shall be together when white wings of death scatter your days.

Aye, you shall be together even in the silent memory of God.

But let there be spaces in your togetherness,

And let the winds of the heavens dance between you.

Love one another but make not a bond of love:

Let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls.

Fill each other’s cup but drink not from one cup.

Give one another of your bread but eat not from the same loaf.

Sing and dance together and be joyous, but let each one of you be alone,

Even as the strings of a lute are alone though they quiver with the same music.

Give your hearts, but not into each other’s keeping.

For only the hand of Life can contain your hearts.

And stand together, yet not too near together:

For the pillars of the temple stand apart,

And the oak tree and the cypress grow not in each other’s shadow.