A couple of weeks ago I entered a contest in Sunset Magazine to try to win a trip to Tofino, BC, which is on the Pacific Ocean on the west coast of Vancouver Island in Canada. To enter, you had to write about why you deserved to win. I wrote about wanting to win for my wonderful husband, Steve, and told them about the many ways he has fulfilled his promise, all those years ago, to love me, in sickness and in health, for as long as we both shall live. Guess what? We won the contest, and in October will enjoy a fully paid trip to Tofino, courtesy of Sunset Magazine!
In honor of Steve, and the tremendous gift from God that he has been to me, I want to share with you the words Renee spoke as she officiated our Vow Renewal Ceremony on the beach in Maui on our 32nd anniversary a year and a half ago. Oh, and just so you know, the ceremony concluded with Daniel serenading us with two songs on his ukulele--Fools Rush In and Groovy Kind of Love. As you will see when you read this, despite cancer and the struggles of having to consider my mortality at too young an age, I have had the best life, and I am so thankful to all of you who have played a role in making it so.
Love, Gabrielle
Words shared by Renee Dudley as she
officiated our vow renewal ceremony on our
32nd
anniversary!
December 18, 2014
Mom and Dad,
We are here
together in God’s presence in this beautiful place to celebrate your last 32
years together and to witness the renewal of your commitment to one
another. The last time you stood
together to affirm your love for each other, you were both younger than
me. And while twenty-somethings often
think they know everything, you really had no idea what your futures together
would hold.
You didn’t know
that Dad would finish vet school and move right along to med school. You didn’t know Mom’s career in fund raising
would take her all the way to the White House and then back to her alma mater,
SPU. You didn’t know you’d move from
charming Pullman, to a flea-infested house in Linden, to a place in Lake City
with a giant back yard, and then to a big house near King’s with an
unbelievable four bathrooms. You didn’t know you’d get to travel together
to Mexico, the Caribbean, Alaska, all over Europe, and back here to where you
honeymooned in Hawaii. You didn’t know
that you would have two amazing
children—a gloriously good-looking and brilliant daughter, Renee, and also a
boy named Daniel. Who, to be fair, is
talented and handsome to an absurd degree.
You didn’t know
32 years ago all the joys you’d experience together—celebrating when each of
you were published in various trade journals and newspapers; getting promotions
and raises; finally buying a boat; vacationing in your favorite places; eating
in incredible restaurants like Canlis and the Herbfarm; and watching your kids
grow from cute babies to a future doctor and a future trust officer, both of
whom love God and care about people.
But you also had
no idea, all those years ago, the trials that lay ahead—times of immense
stress, loss, discord in our extended family, years of difficult graduate
schooling and little money, and more health struggles than belong in any one
family. You didn’t know any of this was
coming, but God did, and that’s why He gave you each other. He knew even before you did that your life’s
joys would be exponentially sweeter for being shared with one another, and more
importantly, He knew you would need each other to get through all the
trials. Dad, even back when you were a
little twerp running around Australia with not quite shiny enough shoes, God
knew it would be Mom who eventually encouraged you through all your various
careers and who listened to your worries and your doubts. And Mom, back when you were marching into
John Hay Elementary School asserting your right to wear pants to school, God
knew it would be Dad who would one day hold your hand when you were diagnosed
with cancer, and who would do anything to ease your burdens when you were
discouraged. It is so clear that God had
you picked out for each other.
I have watched
with admiration over the years as you have leaned on each other and worked
together through every hard time, each of you seamlessly picking up where the
other leaves off. In Deuteronomy 31, God
promises: “Never will I leave you; never
will I forsake you.” This can be a
frustrating verse when everything is crashing down around us and we feel like
God is nowhere to be seen. But I believe
that God’s presence in our lives most often takes the form of other people
showing us God’s love. When each of you
was born, God promised never to forsake you, no matter what came. He fulfilled that promise to you by giving
you each other. He has provided comfort
and support through every trial in the form of your spouse. You are each the other person’s greatest gift
from God, and that is what we celebrate today.
For 32 years you
have done a remarkable job fulfilling the promises to each other in that
Christmas-decorated church in lower Queen Anne.
And now we’re back in Hawaii, where you first celebrated your marriage,
to witness as you recommit yourselves to each other.
[Then Renee said
a beautiful prayer and Steve and I read our new hand-written vows, sobbing, and
Renee concluded by having us repeat these vows she wrote for us]:
With this ring,
I promise to love you, support you, care for you, and serve God with you, all
the days of my life.
 |
| There is no greater gift from God than to get to walk through life married to your best friend. :-) |
