Being married's a matter of paper and rings.
It's also a matter of less tangable things.
Marriage is promising, with all your heart,
that you'll always be lovers, and you never will part.

Marriage is time spent building a life,
with a past and a future shared by husband and wife.
Marriage is learning what I need from you,
and I learn what you need, and give it to you.

Marriage is living through good times and bad.
We comfort each other when things get too sad.
Marriage is loving and trying and crying,
and because of your promises, never good-bying.

We've promised to love each other for life.
We've planned our old age as husband and wife.
We've lived through the years of both hard times and good.
We've cried when we had too, and laughed when we could.

We've laughed and loved, and we've cuddled and sighed.
We've lost faith in each other, we've cussed and we've cried.
Tender hearts listened and love pulled us through.
After these years, I still love you.

  ©Paula McCarty
(Unfortunately, this is not how my marriage turned out)