I just returned from Jordan's and Rachel's wedding reception here in Northern California (they actually got married Saturday in Michigan). It was great fun to connect with friends and give these two all our love and congratulations. My job was to provide a "blessing," and one of my favorites comes from the writings of Gilbran. In this poem, he admonishes that there are three entities in every marriage. In this case, Jordan, Rachel, and the entity they create when they are together. Gilbran was encouraging individuals to always retain their uniqueness even as they create a new, third entity. Here are his words:
"Let there be spaces in your togetherness,
And let the winds of the heavens dance between you.
Love one another but make not a bond of love.
Let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls.
"Fill each other's cup but drink not from one cup.
Give one another of your bread but eat not from the same loaf.
Sing and dance together and be joyous, but let each one of you be alone,
Even as the strings of a lute are alone though they quiver with the same music.
"Give your hearts, but not into each other's keeping
For only the hand of Life can contain your hearts.
And stand together, yet not too near together,
For the pillars of the temple stand apart--and the oak tree and cypress grow not in each other's shadow.
Live always so that you return home at eventide with gratitude,
And then to sleep . . .
With a prayer for your beloved in your heart
And a song of praise upon your lips."
--Kahlil Gilbran, Poet
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