5 Years and counting!

November 6, 2004

Five years later, we still have each other and all of our friends we have kept along the way. We are still in the same house and have added a new family member, Toast. We love to travel to Maui whenever we can. Oh how time flies by.

Happy Anniversary, Steve. I love you very much.

Onaona ka hala me ka lehua,

He hale lehua no ia na ka noe,
`O ka'u no ia e `ano'i nei,
E li'a nei ho'i o ka hiki mai,
A hiki mai no `olua,
A hiki pu no me ke aloha.....
Aloha e! Aloha e! Aloha e!

The oli is a chant that offers a word of greeting. It says in part, "This is the sight for which I have longed. Now that you have come, love has come with you".
Aloha and Welcome!
Stephen and Jessie, We are gathered here to celebrate your marriage. This day you have chosen to affirm your love for each other with spoken words and with the sharing of symbols.
Marriage is a commitment to life… to the best that two people can find and bring out of each other. It offers opportunities for sharing and growth that no other human relationship can equal, a physical and emotional joining that is promised for a lifetime.
Within the circle of its love, marriage encompasses all of life’s most important relationships. A wife and husband are each other’s best friend, confidant, lover, teacher and listener. There may come times when one partner is heartbroken or ailing, and the love of the other brings healing and steadfastness to the sturdy foundation that allows the marriage covenant to be established upon.
Marriage deepens and enriches every facet of life. Happiness is fuller, memories are fresher, and commitment is stronger.
Marriage understands and forgives the mistakes that life is unable to avoid. Yet it encourages and nurtures new life, new experiences and new ways of expressing your love for each other through the seasons of life.
When two people pledge to love and care for each other in marriage they seem to create a spirit unique to themselves, which binds them closer than any spoken or written word. Marriage is a promise made in the hearts of two people who love each other, and this will take a lifetime to fulfill.

For those of us who call Hawaii our home, the flower lei is a symbol of love. It is also a symbol of things that are fragile and temporal. A flower lei will last a day or two and then it is gone. Our lives are like the lei within the span of eternity. Therefore, live with tender consideration for each other, continue to love one another and your marriage will last. May the leis you now offer each other be recognized for the love that you have for one another.
The Hawaiians have a traditional saying, "Honi Ka Waha", kiss him/her on the mouth.
Honi Ka Waha!