Forever

8-13-2008

By Reggie (Authorninjaearth)

NERVOUS...scared, maybe a bit terrified. Regardless, he was happy in his heart about this day. This was the day he had waited for a very long time. Each night it seemed like praying that one prayer wasn't doing any good. But now after years and years of searching and divine intervention, that answer finally came...today. He looked at her intensely, like a hawk eying it's prey, watching it's every move. He didn't take his eyes off her, not even for a second. It was like she would vanish before his eyes if he decided to blink just a little it. He didn't want her to vanish; she wouldn't vanish at all now that they were finally together forever. He grasped her hands, soft and firm, stared in her eyes and just smiled. He saw the light from the stain-glass window beam right in her eyes and reflect in his as a small glow. It was white mixed with her blue eyes; it was like looking through a diamond through the sun, it's beauty was very astounding. She stood before him dressed in cake white dress, with a gold tiara on her head. Her hair flowed from her head to her shoulders, stopping at the tip of her neck. She looked absolutely stunning, like a bride ready to meet her groom. Her face was covered with a soft white silk veil which made her like a ninja bride, hiding her two rubies until the coast was clear of sounds from the preacher, waiting for that signal to strike at the right moment. Her adorable, ivory skin made his eyes wider as they drew in closer to notice the sweat on her hands. It was almost like he was in a trance and nothing could awaken him but the kiss of a princess.

As the preacher continued reading the vows, Kenneth's mind fly to the future. He imagined him and his bride together that night, living in the house he bought several months ago. It was complete with two bedrooms, one bathroom, a large living room, and a dining room that looked good enough to serve the president in, and a kitchen that put diners to shame! It didn't have a yard, per se, but still have a small patio; enough for a couple of small chairs and a table for a nice time eating outdoors. He took his imagination to the limits as he thought about escorting his bride into the home, carrying her over the threshold, and into the bedroom. It was there that he laid her on the bed and he kneeled on the floor. He gazed into her eyes and with his hand he touched her face, caressing it from her eyes to her chin. He leaned over to kiss her and then took both of his hands and held her. As he did, he felt the powerful grip of temptation take the best of him. For a long time, he had held it in, but now...tonight, he can finally restrain from holding back. He whispered to his bride, "I love you" and she followed back with "I love you too." He proceeded to lay next to her. As his mind began diving more into the moment, a voice shot him back to reality with a question.

"Kenneth, please exchange your vow."

He looked at the preacher for a second and then looked his bride. With all his conviction and feeling, he locked his eyes in hers and in a loud voice, he began exchanging his vow.

"I, Kenneth, take you Ellen, to be my wife, my partner in life and my one true love. I will cherish our friendship and love you today, tomorrow, and forever.

I will trust you and honor you, I will laugh with you and cry with you.

I will love you faithfully, through the best and the worst.

Through the difficult and the easy.

What may come I will always be there.

As I have given you my hand to hold

So I give you my life to keep

So help me God."

Kenneth began to cry, but he didn't withdraw his hand from Ellen's, but instead let his tears flow straight to his chin, onto the floor. The preacher turned to Ellen who seemed to be crying. Tears trickled down her face and rode her cheeks and onto her dress. They were so clear that it was like her tears were from another world, another substance that had no color and was just air. They didn't appear on her dress at all, but the moisture on her face caused her whole face to light up as though she was covered in the glory of God. Kenneth saw her expression and noticed that although she was smiling, she appeared very happy. He could tell that she was also waiting for this day with him, waiting to publicly declare her love for him before all family and friends. Though her hands and palms sweated from nervousness, her heart raced gracefully back and forth jumping around like a rabbit looking for carrots. She didn't take her eyes off him for a second; she let her imagination go wild.

She imagined that her and Kenneth were together at their home. Lights were dim, candles were lit, and they were paired on the floor together dancing slowly to soft music. She imagined holding him tightly, her arms surrounding his back like a snake wrapping it's body around it's prey and squeezing them into pieces. In her case, she'd hold him and wouldn't let go; she would hold him forever, without fear of loosing him ever. He wouldn't fly back home in some far away land or be an hour away from her; he was now right there, up close and personal, right in her face, gazing into her eyes with those brown eyes burning through the lenses of his glasses. It seemed like this moment would never come soon enough and now that it was her she was intending to enjoy it every second and minute it passed by. She touched his soft lips, those two pilgrims that she kissed so many times before, but now they would be hers to kiss every day without limit. She totally lost herself in his romantic gaze and place her head on his chest, as they twirled around slowly in the middle of the dining room. Suddenly, the lights went out and silence filled the room. All before her went dark, except for a small white glimmer of something in front of her. It was Kenneth; he appeared to be smiling as he held her close and told her that everything would be okay. He then lured her into the room and she went to sit on the bed. He sat down next her and once again took her hand. He kissed it and then pulled her closer to himself. She looked up at his face and saw the happiness that radiate from it. She was amazed at the glow that shone on his face and the expression on it assured her that he was having the time of his life. She didn't want this moment to end, but as she tried diving into her moment further, a voice shot her back to reality.

"And now, Ellen will exchange her vow."

Ellen, with her voice broken but filled with happiness, fixed her eyes on her groom and make her vow.

"I, Ellen, take you Kenneth, to be my husband, my partner in life and my one true love.

I will cherish our friendship and love you today,

tomorrow, and forever

I will trust you and honor you

I will laugh with you and cry with you.

I will love you faithfully

Through the best and the worst,

Through the difficult and the easy.

What may come I will always be there.

As I have given you my hand to hold

So I give you my life to keep

So help me God "

Ellen began weeping uncontrollably. Kenneth tried to wipe away her tears from outside her veil, but instead was given a tissue by the preacher to give to her. She wiped her tears away, but it wasn't until he reached for her hand again that he realized that tears streamed from his face too. He loved her so much, as did she, and their vows were so real that they were actually standing in it's power. You could tell from the audience that this couple was ordained by God just by noticing the happiness and tears resonating from the altar. It was as though God's Spirit came down and joined two people together in love and put their love on display evidenced through their testimony. After a short pause, the preacher continued the ceremony.

"The couple will now exchange a unified vow in unison."

Together, both Kenneth and Ellen locked eyes, stood close, and lifted their voices to heaven.

"Entreat me not to leave you, or to return from following after you,

For where you go I will go,

and where you stay I will stay

Your people will be my people,

and your God will be my God.

And where you die, I will die and there I will be buried.

May the Lord do with me and more if anything but death parts you from me."

The sound of them exchanging their vows together was like hearing a heavenly chorus sing hallelujah; the acoustics bounded off the walls and into the whole sanctuary and even outside the church. It was like the whole world heard the marvelous testimony of two lovers and heaven gave it's approval by sending music to honor them. Even the preacher had a tear running from his eyes down to his bushy mustache. He continued with the ceremony.

"And now, the rings."

A small child, a young girl, dressed in pink daisies with a white pillow in her hand approached the preacher. On that pillow were two large gold rings, topped with diamonds as big as a chestnuts, but were very light weighted. On the crest of each ring was a cross shaped logo carved with the couple's initials encircled with a heart around it. Both gave off a sparkle of turquoise and pearl, mixed with a bluish green combined with a white clear flare that made them show their true worth. Of course, the couples love was much more greater in value than the rings themselves; all the money in the world combined from all countries couldn't match the value of the love Kenneth and Ellen had for one another. God surely had His value and blessings upon them and He made sure everyone knew it simply by letting the crowd share in the couples' happiness. You could also hear women crying and some men looking at their wives looking as though they had forgotten something important. For others, some embraced heavily engrossed in the ceremony, and for some others they were asleep. The young girl held up the pillow to the preacher and he carefully took the rings. He held the keys up in the air and blessed them.

"The wedding ring is the outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual bond which unites two loyal hearts in endless love. It is a seal of the vows Kenneth and Ellen have made to one another. Bless O God these rings, that Ellen and Kenneth, who give them, and who wear them, may ever abide in thy peace. Living together in unity, love and happiness for the rest of their lives. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen."

The preacher gave the rings to both Kenneth and Ellen, each one taking it and holding it.

"Kenneth and Ellen, hold out your left ringer finger and place the rings on the tip of them and hold them there."

They did as instructed which looked really weird because they both stood with one hand holding a ring and the other one was pointing the other way. The preacher then turned to Kenneth.

"Kenneth, please recite the ring vows that you were given prior to the ceremony."

Kenneth turned to Ellen and as he smiled he said his ring vows.

"Ellen, I give you this ring as a symbol of our vows, and with all that I am, and all that I have, I honor you. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, With this ring, I thee wed." He slid the ring completely on her hand.

The preacher then turned to Ellen.

"Ellen, please recite the ring vow you were taught prior to the ceremony."

Ellen looked intently at Kenneth, tears still streaming down her face, and recited her ring vow.

"Kenneth, I give you this ring as a symbol of our vows, and with all that I am, and all that I have, I honor you. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, With this ring, I thee wed." She slid the ring on Kenneth's left ring finger.

The two lovers turned and faced the preacher. They were both glowing with smiles and giddiness as they stood awaiting the one last sentence that would bind them together, forever. With a pleasant smile and tone, the preacher concluded the ceremony.

"Before we conclude, I would ask that both Kenneth and Ellen hold their hands together in the air as I pray for them." the preacher said.

With hands held tightly together, Kenneth and Ellen lifted their hands towards heaven and the preacher lifted his towards theirs in order to bless them.

"God, bless these hands that you see before you this day. May they always be held by one another. Give them the strength to hold on during the storms of stress and the dark of disillusionment. Keep them tender and gentle as they nurture each other in their wondrous love. Help these hands to continue building a relationship founded in your grace, rich in caring, and devoted in reaching for your perfection. May Kenneth and Ellen see their four hands as healer, protector, shelter and guide. We ask this in your name, Amen."

Everyone, including Kenneth and Ellen followed through with an Amen, and held each other close. The preacher then smiled heavily and with a firm stance he lifted his Bible toward heaven and extend his other hand towards the bride and groom.

"Kenneth and Ellen, by the power vested in me, given by our God, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, I gladly you pronounce you before the church of Jesus Christ, His bride, husband and wife! You may kiss your bride!" the preacher loudly proclaimed.

Kenneth stood there for a moment captivated by the beauty of wife. For some reason, she seemed different. She seemed more heavenly than before, like a transformation took place during the prayer. She didn't look like the woman he stood with on the altar; she had a face similar to his but only brighter. It was as if he was seeing himself through her eyes; for some reason, he felt like he could sense and feel everything she was right now. He felt happy, emotional, and started to cry uncontrollably. Ellen herself seemed to be lost in his eyes; she looked as though she was starting at herself through his eyes, seeing herself engrossed in every emotion her husband was feeling. The couple stood close together and then slowly moved their faces towards one another. Almost in slow in motion, the couple shared their first kiss together as husband and wife.

Immediately, the entire sanctuary was filled with merriment and laughter. The newly wedded couple proceeded hand-in-hand down the aisle towards the exit of the church. Right before they reached the threshold, Kenneth picked up Ellen and carried her to the car that was waiting for them. It was large limo, white in color, but very lavish on the inside. The driver informed Kenneth that he would take them both to the house. Within moments, the couple arrived at their home. As Kenneth exited the car, he had Ellen step out and then picked her back up. The driver closed the door behind them and then sped ahead of them to open the house door. He watched as Kenneth gracefully and slowly carry his bride up the small flight of stairs and into the house. He then shut the door behind him, heading back to his car and drove away. Kenneth proceeded to the second floor and into a large room that had both their stuff inside. The bed was covered with a white-tannish comforter with caramel colored bedsheets underneath. He placed her on the bed, laying her down with her head landing on the soft cotton pillow. The proceeded to lay beside her.

Together, for that moment, which seemed to last for hours, they just stared at each other. Their entire life played before their eyes, reviewing every moment prior to marriage all the way up to that very moment. They remembered that it seemed like just yesterday they first met. They remembered their first time meeting each other in person, going out for dinner, and spending time together on the porch under the starry nights. They have been through trial after trial gaining the families approval on both sides so that they can be together in peace and join the families on good terms. Not to mention that they have both been through their personal struggles trying to overcome the various barriers that tried to block them from coming together: cultural, territorial, and even spiritual. After being apart for so long in the past, here they are now finally together, never to part. They now have all the time in the world to be together and enjoy one another for a lifetime. They laid there, eyes on eyes, hands in hands, and lips on lips, savoring their special moment. Each one followed through with an "I love you" as they embraced one another. As time passed, they closed their eyes and held each other, each with a solid embrace acting as though their arms were chains welded together around a door with no possible disconnection. There was no laughing, no crying, no speaking, or no smiling -- there was only silence and peace that filled the room. It was almost as if time had stopped and the world was stuck in one place. Finally, after a number of years, Kenneth and Ellen were together for the rest of their lives, now being able to take their love the highest level possible and beyond.

They didn't have an hour, a day, or even a week to express and experience their love. All they had now, was forever!

Author's note: Wedding vows were copied from 1st Choice Weddings of California. Website is here:

. I cannot in any way claim credit for the wedding vows, ring vows, and hand vows; all rights reserved to 1st Choice Wedding of California.