Autumn Love
Carole Mathys
Like the last of the summer wine
the pace of life begins mellowing
leaving a smooth lingering afterglow
as you approach the autumn years
~~
Just when you are content
to sit back with only memories
to keep you warm at night
Fate unexpectedly steps in
and you discover that
the best was saved for last
a love that time will be still for
~~
With the fiery intensity
of youthful love left behind
autumn love
has all of the mellow subtleties
and qualities of a fine aged bourbon
that teases the senses
and pleasures like an exquisite
slow sensual slide
~~
Time has granted the patience
to enjoy the complexities of love
each and every nuance
and the time to explore and savor
the rich and fulfilling flavors
of an autumn love
~~
Autumn Love
By Jayne Fisher
You know summer is saying her final goodbye when the leaves turn from green to yellow and then others turn into orange, red or even purple. You breathe in the crisp air and notice the sweet aroma of summer has turned into the smell of autumn rain still trapped within the skin of clouds and lovers. One senses that this scent of dew will soon become the silent snowflake seeking refuge on your nose. Ah…. Autumn has arrived and turns your head with her unmasking of a palette so bright as she begins to paint the landscape in hues unimaginable. As if waking from a languid dream you notice that life is in abundant change around you and preparing her creatures for the long cold days of winter.
Soon thoughts turn to pumpkins, homemade pies, raking leaves, crackling fires and steamy hot cider. Autumn is the perfect time for love. No other season comes “dressed” for the backdrop of a love play like Autumn. With Autumn comes the sense of urgency to get things done quickly before all becomes enveloped in the hush of winter white.
Walking through Autumn leaves with your love brings back a memory of a magic to time as a child when a pile of leaves was so much more than a nuisance. This is a wonderful opportunity to be that child again and play! Invite your sweetheart to hold you tight and just fall into those leaves together and you will find yourself falling in love, perhaps for the first time or the first time this Autumn.
Turn your head and everywhere couples are nestled into each other with soft whispers and their breaths captured in the icy air. Breathe in each other’s breath and become one. Slip your arms around each other and just take time to notice the days growing shorter and life being lived to the fullest. Harvest these fruits of Autumn and cherish the cycles of our seasons.
Echo again the changes that you see, Autumn……., with new beginnings just around the corner.
Bless The Broken Road Lyrics
Rascal Flatts
I set out on a narrow way many years ago
Hoping I would find true love along the broken road
But I got lost a time or two
Wiped my brow and kept pushing through
I couldn't see how every sign pointed straight to you
Every long lost dream lead me to where you are
Others who broke my heart they were like northern stars
Pointing me on my way into your loving arms
This much I know is true
That God blessed the broken road
That led me straight to you
I think about the years I spent just passing through
I'd like to have the time I lost and give it back to you
But you just smile and take my hand
You've been there you understand
It's all part of a grander plan that is coming true
Every long lost dream lead me to where you are
Others who broke my heart they were like northern stars
Pointing me on my way into your loving arms
This much I know is true
That God blessed the broken road
That led me straight to you
Second Wedding Vow Samples
- “I marry you with my eyes wide open. You have helped me let go of the past, and I embrace the future. Thank you for making me laugh again. Bless you for taking my hand as we begin anew."
- “I offer myself to you as a partner in life. I vow to love you in sickness and in health. I commit myself to encourage you in good times and in bad. I will cherish and respect you all the days of our life together. Starting anew once again, I give thanks that I have found you. May our marriage be a gift to the world and our families, as your love is a gift to me."
- “God has given us a second chance at happiness. I come today to give you my love, to give you my heart and my hope for our future together. I promise to bring you joy, to be at home with your spirit and to learn to love you more each day, through all the days of our lives. My love for you is endless and eternal.”
- "Because of you, I laugh, I smile, I dare to dream again. I look forward with great joy to spending the rest of my life with you, caring for you, nurturing you, being there for you in all life has in store for us, and I vow to be true and faithful for as long as we both shall live."
- Since I have found you, I have found a new life. The decision to commit to share that life with you is one I make happily and with full confidence in our love.
- Secure in the knowledge that you will be my constant friend, my faithful partner in life, and my one true love.
- On this special day, I give to you in the presence of God and all these witnesses my pledge to stay by your side, in sickness and in health, in joy and in sorrow, as well as through the good times and the bad.
- I promise to love you without reservation, comfort you in times of distress, encourage you to achieve all of your goals, laugh with you and cry with you, grow with you in mind and spirit, always be open and honest with you, and cherish you for as long as we both shall live.
Sample Wedding Vows for children and blended families.
- "I,____, take you, ____, to be my lawful wife/husband, to have and to hold from this day forward. For better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health...for all eternity."
- I, _______, take you now, in the presence of God and these witnesses, to be my wife/husband. I promise to love you, to hold you and to honor you, in good times and in bad, to enjoy you, to communicate with you always, and to console you when you need consoling. I will give thanks for you each and every day, and cherish you with all of my heart until our time together on earth has ended."
- "________, I promise to be a good and faithful husband/wife to you, and also a patient, loving father/mother to (children's names), caring for them and providing for them as my own. I promise to be their strength and their emotional support, loving them with all my heart forever."
- The children—now part of a loving blended family—can then repeat “We do" after these words:
- "And now, (children's names), do you promise to love and respect your parent's new husband/wife? Do you promise to support their marriage and new family? Do you promise to accept the responsibility of being their children, and to encourage them and support them in your new life together?"
- For second marriages that involve children, the Family Medallion ceremony invites them to participate in the ceremony, signifying the creation of a new family. Pendants come with an 18" chain, keepsake booklet, poem and numerous ceremony examples. Personalize medallions with each child’s initials. Read more about the Family Medallion ceremony here.
Sample Second Wedding Vows for the Mature Couple
- “I offer you the autumn of my life, brisk and vibrant. I promise to be a companion worthy of your precious friendship. I pledge to you compassion in good times and bad, encouragement in sickness and health. It is my intent that our life together include our large circle of friends and loving families. While we cherish the memories of our individual pasts, we will create new experiences and memories in our new life together.”
- "The world, for me, and all the world can hold, is circled in your arms, within the lights and shadows of your eyes the only beauty that is never old."
SECOND CHANCE
(Song by Trisha Yearwood)
What do you do when love comes along
And offers your heart a chance to move on
With no guarantees, no safety net,
Trust what you feel, you take that first step
Just close your eyes
And reach for the moment before it slips by
Here is your second chance, take it and fly
The weight of the world, the need to survive
Has made you believe that you got no right
And out of the blue,
You meet someone who offers a place warm as the sun
Just close your eyes
Reach for the moment before it slips by
Here is your second chance, take it and fly
Just when you think love is a distant dream
Oh, fate give you wings
Just close your eyes
And reach for the moment before it slips by
Here is your second chance, take it and fly
Second Chance
Words and Music © 1999 Judith Hanlon
In the song of the living, in this journey of life
I’ve had my share of happiness,
I’ve known some pain and strife.
I’ve gently rocked the cradle,
cried tears thru pomp and circumstance
So, I never thought in love,
I would need a second chance.
In the tapestry that’s woven,
in the fabric of my days.
I’ve baked some birthday memories,
I’ve emptied nests along the way.
I lost at love and home,
slept in sorrow’s lonely trance
So I never thought that love,
should give me a second chance.
Like a shining star you came,
into my darkest night.
You sang a song of happiness,
I stepped from lost to light.
You breathed into my broken heart,
the joy of life’s dance,
I never thought that love
would give a second chance.
I am writing a new chapter,
you’re the hero of each page
It’s time to start the second act,
you have the center stage
We’ll dance to a new melody,
finding our own step and stance
Discovering the ebb and flow,
of love’s sweet second chance.
Oh, Holy and Redeeming God,
we stand here today
And thank you from our humble hearts
for showing us your way.
We celebrate the lessons learned,
for a past that laughed and cried
Now, we promise as we journey on,
we’ll never leave Your side.
For, Like a shining star You came,
into our darkest night.
You clothed us with your loving grace,
we stepped from lost to Light.
You breathed into our broken hearts,
the joy of life’s Dance
Trusting in Your faithfulness,
that breathes each Second Chance.
Reading for a Second Marriage
~Author Unknown
Everywhere I look I see a world unlike before;
as if the earth was made today,
and now must be explored.
The scent of flowers waft
throughout the air for many miles.
I can't remember it smelling so sweet.
It has been quite a while.
The trees around me seem to bend
their boughs as I walk by.
How wonderful, this newfound love
of each and every life.
All around the bluebirds fly.
They seem to follow my lead.
Right beside me, my new love walks.
There's nothing else I need.
He breathes in deep, then looks at me
and breaks into a smile.
"It's nicer now," He says to me.
"I think I'll stay a while."
As we start our lives anew, I thank the Creator for the
second chance to live with love,
and to share my love with you.
God Blessed Me
by Sunny
I wandered through the years
Smilin' through my tears
And I had no doubt
If I kept my chin up
Learned to hang in tough
It would all work out
And God Blessed Me
With a second chance at love
Unexpectedly
Someone who knew how to undo
The hurt and set me free
Deep devotion that is filled
With honesty and trust
Dreamy plans, passion, romance
A second chance at love
I've heard it said by some
Each of us has one
Who's our destiny
Thought mine had been and gone
Until you came along
And now I believe
God blessed me
With a second chance at love
Unexpectedly
Someone who knew how to undo
The hurt and set me free
Deep devotion that is filled
With honesty and trust
Dreamy plans, passion, romance
A second chance at love
(This comes from wisdom from the Apostle Paul.)
The essence of any marriage relationship is love. Much of what we call love is really self-centered response, which will never form an adequate foundation for marriage. Love, by its very nature, is active and giving, not self-orientated and self-serving.
The Lord has commanded us to love each other as He loves us. And how does He love us? First He gives all for our sake, without hesitation or concern for Himself. In other words, love puts the needs of the one loved ahead of the needs and desires of the lover.
Love shares all. There are no secret compartments, no hidden rooms, no locked closets in a successful love relationship. There is only openness and, as a result, trust when husband and wife truly love each other. Love provides all. It provides security, it seeks to develop ability, and it shares the common purpose of obtaining what is best for the one loved. When we understand what love really is, we must recognize that the essence of any marriage relationship is our Spiritual relationship with our Creator, because without to love the Creator and the Created, we love ourselves. In loving ourselves, we are able to love others..
Let no harsh words be spoken in which you may regret later. Let the gentleness of your love, trust and devotion be an unfaltering guide as you journey together as husband and wife. Allow the peace you have been longing for be ever present. Know that though we are not a perfect mirror image of our Creator, we must strive to be so. Perfection is an illusion, but truly loving yourself in the eyes of your spouse is as close to the loving of the Creator as one can be.
Today, all of your past sins are absolved and they will be spoken not of again in your new journey of marriage. Allow the love for one another be strong and steadfast, and allow only gentleness and nurturing to be present.
Turn to one another and look into the eyes of your beloved. Know that today, your marriage relationship will be as true and as gentle as the day the Creator brought you two together. The key to this relationship is trust. It can be earned and it can be given with a gentle hand. Love one another, and always be gentle in both mind, body and soul.
