On a sunny, but not too warm, Saturday morning in September, we got married in front of friends, family, and our geocaching family.
It was a gorgeous day and my boys, Dave and I dressed all alike (in khaki pants, which we thought was appropriate given our geocaching background) and posed for pictures with our families and attendants (my best friend Leann and his sister Tiffany). Then we had our ceremony, with Dave's dad, a Methodist pastor, presiding.
To make a long story short, we got married! The ceremony was brief and beautiful, and the boys were involved (two ringbearers!) as well.
You can see photos of the ceremony and reception, as well as our caching honeymoon in San Francisco, at http://www.beckydavis.com/wedding. Enjoy, and we welcome your comments and questions!
I wanted to share the pastor's charge to us. Keep on reading, even it seems like the usual wedding stuff...there's a special reason it's phrased the way it is...
Pastor's Charge to the Couple
David and Rebekah, Ricky and Andrew, this is not just a wedding but an event. (Those of you who are not cachers need to know that this wedding has been listed as a cache "event".) This is an event of a lifetime - an event which will change your lives as you make a commitment to forge a new life together. Up to now you have been searching through many phases of your lives for the right person, your soul mate. You have now fixed your coordinates on each other and located your true treasure.
I speak for both families when I say that we are so happy that you have found each other, and we look forward to being part of your new life together.
In a moment I will pronounce you husband and wife officially, but I wouldn't be a minister or a dad if I didn't take advantage of this moment to give you a little advice! You have come together because you love each other deeply. Love is the key. Without it, your relationship would never have been born; without love your relationship would not last. But there are five additional words I want to share with you that will be important in keeping your marriage strong and successful.
- Commitment. This ceremony marks officially the commitment you've already made to each other, and this is a joyous celebration of that reality. Never lose your sense of total commitment to each other. There will be stresses throughout the years which will tug and pull at your relationship, and it will be your commitment to each other through thick and thin, through richer and poorer, which will carry you through.
- Acceptance. Acceptance is important - acceptance of each other as you are and respect for each other's gifts, styles, and needs. Don't try to change each other. Encourage growth certainly, and support the maximizing of each other's gifts, but accept each other as you are.
- Communication. You come into a new relationship of mutuality. Now instead of "Me do it myself," it's "We do it together." There is strength and satisfaction in planning and doing things together, but in order to do so well you must constantly keep the lines of communication open. Good communication is the oil that makes your relationship run smoothly.
- Heights. Take time to dream, to let your imagination carry you to new heights. See the world through the new eyes of your children, certainly, but also through the new perspectives of each other. There are plenty of responsibilities and tasks that demand your time and attention. But together you have so many more resources and possibilities, there is no telling what heights you can soar to. But in order to do so, you must dream together.
- Enjoyment. Finally, allow space for passion and joy, fun and laughter - fun with Ricky and Andrew, of course, but also time set aside exclusively for the two of you to enjoy each other by yourselves. Enjoyment, after all, is what makes it all worth it.
Five words - commitment, acceptance, communication, heights, enjoyment...C-A-C-H-E. If you pay attention to these key elements of the cache of your marriage, you will have a fulfilling and successful relationship together!
But remember with Paul that above all, the greatest treasure is love. That's what keeps your coordinates in sync, gives you the power to transcend any roadblock, and carries you into the new, knowing that from this moment on you go forward together as your new family, all four of you - empowered by your love and by the love of all of us here. And speaking again for both families I say, not only are we ecstatic to share this moment with you, but we pledge you our total support.
Editor's Note: Today's Cacher would like to congratulate Dave and Becky on their marriage, and we wish them many happy years together, on and off the trails, through smooth paths or bushwhacking, and a lifetime of finding the CACHE referred to by Reverend Sprecher.