{"product_id":"wedding-blessings-isbn-9780767913461","title":"Wedding Blessings","description":"\u003ci\u003eA beautiful collection of poems, prayers, and toasts for all marriage celebrations.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFinding the right words about love for a wedding or anniversary can be difficult. In \u003ci\u003eWedding Blessings\u003c\/i\u003e, June Cotner has collected perfect selections for the bride, groom, members of the wedding party, and other family and friends to share. From verses and vows to prayers and toasts, the sentiments of \u003ci\u003eWedding Blessings\u003c\/i\u003e will help make any marriage celebration more memorable. With selections devoted to \"anniversaries\" and \"Reflections\", \u003ci\u003eWedding Blessings\u003c\/i\u003e also serves as a tribute to and affirmation of marriage.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFilled with inspiration and timeless words by renowned authors such as Robert Browning, Rainer Maria Rilke, the Persian poet Rumi, as well as many contemporary writers, this spiritual, multi-faith anthology offers true gems suitable for all aspects of weddings, anniversaries, and vow-renewal ceremonies. \u003ci\u003eWedding Blessings\u003c\/i\u003e is a wonderful gift for the bride-to-be and others celebrating the union of marriage.\u003cb\u003eJUNE COTNER \u003c\/b\u003eis the author of more than a dozen anthologies, including the bestselling \u003ci\u003eGraces\u003c\/i\u003e. She lives in Poulsbo, Washington.\u003ci\u003eWhat Greater Thing\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhat greater thing is there for two human souls,\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ethan to feel that they are joined for life--\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eto strengthen each other in all labor,\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eto rest on each other in all sorrow,\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eto minister to each other in all pain,\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eto be one with each other\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ein silent unspeakable memories . . .\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e-George Eliot (1819-1880)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eYou Were Born Together\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e(from The Prophet)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eYou were born together, and together you shall be forevermore.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eYou shall be together when the white wings of death scatter your days.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAye, you shall be together even in the silent memory of God.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBut let there be spaces in your togetherness,\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAnd let the winds of the heavens dance between you.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLove one another but make not a bond of love:\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLet it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFill each other's cup but drink not from one cup.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eGive one another of your bread but eat not from the same loaf.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSing and dance together and be joyous, but let each of you be alone,\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eEven as the strings of the lute are alone though they quiver\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ewith the same music.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eGive your hearts, but not into each other's keeping.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFor only the hands of Life can contain your hearts.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAnd stand together, yet not too near together:\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFor the pillars of the temple stand apart,\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAnd the oak tree and the cypress grow not in each other's shadow.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e-Kahlil Gibran  (1883-1931)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eWhen Two People Are at One\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhen two people are at one\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ein their inmost hearts\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThey shatter even the strength of iron\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eor of bronze\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAnd when two people understand each other\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ein their inmost hearts\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTheir words are sweet and strong\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003elike the fragrance of orchids.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI Ching\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMarried Love\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eYou and I\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHave so much love\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThat it\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBurns like a fire,\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn which we bake a lump of clay\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMolded into a figure of you\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAnd a figure of me.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThen we take both of them,\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAnd break them into pieces,\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAnd mix the pieces with water,\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAnd mold again a figure of you,\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAnd a figure of me.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI am in your clay.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eYou are in my clay.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn life we share a single quilt.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn death we will share one bed.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e-Kuan Tao-Sheng  (1262-1319)\u003cbr\u003eTranslated from the Chinese by Kenneth Rexroth and Ling Chung\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eTo Love Another\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFor one human being to love another human being: that is perhaps the most difficult task that has been entrusted to us, the ultimate task, the final test and proof, the work for which all other work is merely preparation . . . Loving does not at first mean merging, surrendering, and uniting with another person--it is a high inducement for the individual to ripen . . . to become world in himself for the sake of another person; it is a great, demanding claim on him, something that chooses him and calls him to vast distances.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e-Rainer Maria Rilke  (1875-1926)\u003cbr\u003eTranslated by Stephen Mitchell\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Passionate Shepherd to His Love\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCome live with me and be my love,\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAnd we will all the pleasures prove\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThat valleys, groves, hills, and fields,\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWoods, or steepy mountain yields.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAnd we will sit upon the rocks\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSeeing the shepherds feed their flocks,\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBy shallow rivers, to whose falls\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMelodious birds sing madrigals.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAnd I will make thee beds of roses\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAnd a thousand fragrant posies,\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA cap of flowers and a kirtle\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eEmbroider'd all with leaves of myrtle.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA gown made of the finest wool,\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhich from our pretty lambs we pull;\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFair lined slippers for the cold,\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWith buckles of the purest gold.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA belt of straw and ivy buds,\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWith coral clasps and amber studs:\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAnd if these pleasures may thee move,\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCome live with me and be my love.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe shepherd swains shall dance and sing\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFor thy delight each May morning:\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIf these delights thy mind may move,\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThen live with me and be my love.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e-Christopher Marlowe  (1564-1594)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eIn One Another's Souls\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe moment I heard my first love story I began seeking you,\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003enot realizing the search was useless.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLovers don't meet somewhere along the way.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThey're in one another's souls from the beginning.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e-Rumi  (1207-1273)\u003cbr\u003eAdapted by Eleanor Munro, from the translation by A. J. Arberry\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eI Shall Love You\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSensual pleasure passes and vanishes in the twinkling of an eye, but the friendship between us, the mutual confidence, the delights of the heart, the enchantment of the soul, these things do not perish and can never be destroyed. I shall love you until I die.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e-Voltaire   (1694-1778)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eLove\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI love you,\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNot only for what you are,\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBut for what I am\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhen I am with you.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI love you,\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNot only for what\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eYou have made of yourself,\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBut for what\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eYou are making of me.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI love you\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFor the part of me\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThat you bring out;\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI love you\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFor putting your hand\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eInto my heaped-up heart\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAnd passing over\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAll the foolish, weak things\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThat you can't help\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDimly seeing there,\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAnd for drawing out\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eInto the light\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAll the beautiful belongings\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThat no one else had looked\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eQuite far enough to find.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI love you because you\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAre helping me to make\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOf the lumber of my life\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNot a tavern\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBut a temple;\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOut of the works\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOf my every day\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNot a reproach\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBut a song.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI love you\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBecause you have done\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMore than any creed\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCould have done\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTo make me good,\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAnd more than any fate\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCould have done\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTo make me happy.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eYou have done it\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWithout a touch,\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWithout a word,\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWithout a sign.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eYou have done it\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBy being yourself.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePerhaps that is what\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBeing a friend means,\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAfter all.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e-Roy Croft  (1907-1973)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eEntering the Vow\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhat is a vow,\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ebut an intention\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003espoken out before the world\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eso that the world, in hearing,\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003emight take part\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ein aspirations\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eof the willing heart?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn our coming here today\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eto join and bless\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ethe joy of your becoming wed,\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003emay we enter in\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ethe truth of the words you've said,\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"I do.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e-Maureen Tolman Flannery\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eLove Is Patient\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLove is patient, love is kind.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIt does not envy, it does not boast,\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eit is not proud. It is not rude,\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eit is not self-seeking,\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eit is not easily angered,\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eit keeps no record of wrongs.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLove does not delight in evil\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ebut rejoices with the truth.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIt always protects, always trusts,\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ealways hopes, always perseveres.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLove never fails. . . .\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAnd now these three remain:\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003efaith, hope and love.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBut the greatest of these is love.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e-I Corinthians 13:4-8, 13 (NIV)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eMy Bounty\u003c\/i\u003e  (from\u003ci\u003e Romeo and Juliet\u003c\/i\u003e)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMy bounty is as boundless as the sea,\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMy love as deep; the more I give to thee,\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe more I have, for both are infinite.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e-William Shakespeare  (1564-1616)","brand":"Crown","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46301091463397,"sku":"NP9780767913461","price":16.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780767913461.jpg?v=1767743719","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/wedding-blessings-isbn-9780767913461","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}