My heart was overflowing with appreciation for all the people who made this day special: my loving spouse, who suggested the renewal, my beautiful teenage daughter, my maid of honor, who wore my original embroidered wedding dress, my matron of honor, my best friend from college who flew in from Nevada with her daughter to see us "do it again!", Ed's navy buddies and long-time friends from the west coast, my mother, wearing the gown she wore to our first wedding and friends from nine states and the Virgin Islands.

One friend said, "It was the only wedding I've ever been to where there wasn't a dry eye, including the bride and groom." This may be a bit of an exaggeration, but everyone was touched by the ceremony. We had asked Chad to include the following words:

Before God, on your wedding day, you made a choice, and a promise. You chose to be life partners. Such a decision is an on-going process. You have continued to choose one another. Your love has made you strong. It has blossomed like the representative daisy band rings you pledged upon twenty-five years ago. Your belief in each other, and total acceptance of who you are has been your foundation. True love is demonstrated when each partner puts their loved one's happiness above all else. The permanent good of the partnership is more important than any temporary pleasure. You have always looked toward your dreams and goals, and manifested them in your love. Love is the single most potent force in the universe. It is the source of all joy, the unifying strength that links spirit to spirit. The capacity to love is our great chance for happiness. You are blessed in having discovered this. The world has changed in your time together, and will continue to do so. Your perception of it as a wonderful place has encouraged that reality.

Whatever your future holds, it will be met with the love of two spirits united as one. You are one person, two alone, three together, and for each other. Today your friends and family join you in celebration as you renew the pledge to continue to walk through this life together.

The reference to the one person, two alone, three together, and for each other was included in our original ceremony at our request. It is from the Crosby-Nash song, Helplessly Hoping. To us, it represents the belief that we are as one, yet still separate individuals. Our spirits are united forever, but are distinctively aware and appreciative of the conjoined aspect of our unity. We don't always have the same desires, moods or attitudes, but we usually accept these differences without rancor. At the very core of our relationship are our respect and gratitude for the beauty of each other's heart.

One of the nicest aspects of the day was the calm, joyous, delight in being together for a lifetime celebration. I had no schedule, other than the band's timetable. There were no rehearsals, and no reasons to elevate anyone's blood pressure. Our original wedding had been accomplished with the same laissez-faire, except I had "lost it" at one point in the morning when my hair would not do as I wished. My then husband-to-be looked at me, shrugged, and left the room. (The first marriage ceremony was on our boat, in the boatyard, while it was still under construction.) His body language made me realize my hair didn't matter, but my composure did. Weddings should be fun. FOR EVERYONE. Yet, the stories of battles, shot nerves, brides with hives, grooms about to bolt, and "uptight vibes" abound. The night before our renewal, I cooked dinner for 14 people, ten of which were staying in our home. Almost everyone had a wedding horror story, the basis of which was usually trying to accomplish too much "show." I wish I could say to couples about to marry, "What do you want to remember about your wedding? Do you want to remember joy and laughter, or designer coordinated splendor? Make your wedding as carefree as you can. The most important aspect is your happiness. Don't let anything overshadow that!"