“Always”
Written By Angie Neal
In Honor of Her Parents, Stuart and Claire Thompson
40th Wedding Anniversary and Recommitment Ceremony

How do I say I love you?

When there is no language that can match the truthfulnees of my deepest expressions

How do I tell you I love you?

When I want to share more than a vow or a promise can encompass

How do convey my love for you?

When there is no vessel that can be filled with the depth of emotion I have for you

How do I only speak aloud, “I love you”?

When I need something more to articulate the blessing that you are.

I say to you… “Always”

Always is…

More than yesterday,More than tomorrow.

The first of a million kisses,The first of a million memories.

Always is…

Praying for you before we met,

living a life that drew me closer to you.

Always is…

Loving you for who you are,

And for who we have become together.

Always is…

Loving your siblings as my own,

And respecting parents not born of, but chosen.

Always is…

Remembering our past and creating our future,

Respecting our legacy and designing a new inheritance.

Always can be measured…

It is the moments between our baby’s breaths,

The pause at the end of a sigh,

It is what lingers in the space where no words need to be spoken.

Always never changes…

It is the constant embrace as the world transforms,

Through changing careers and changing diapers,

Changing bodies and changing lives.

Always means…

Adding to our blessings and multiplying in our happiness,

Becoming a mother of mothers and father to a father.

Always is…

Building traditions and bridging the miles,

Sharing wisdom, sharing stories
and creating new stories to tell.

Always is…

Constructing happily ever after from a foundation of commitment,

Praying for one another and walking side by side in faith.

Staying strong, when the other is weak,

Staying brave, when the other is troubled.

Loving each other, but putting God first.

Trusting each other, but trusting God more.

Choosing to join our lives that very first day,

Choosing to put the other person first every day.

Being proud, being joyful

Being patient, being kind.

Living a life beyond the touch of time…

… ALWAYS