Our Love Story!!! - Part I

A Pledge of True Love:

Because I love you, I will speak of my affection from my heart,
and it will be sweet music.
Because I love you I will use all that God has given me to move
whatever stands in the way of our love.
Because I love you I will gladly give all that I have away to gain
your heart.
Because I love you I will compassionately wait for you
Because I love you I am not jealous of you.
Because I love you I need not brag.
Because I love you my heart is humble and not vain.
Because I love you I desire grace to mark my actions
Because I love you, you come before me.
Because I love you my passion is gentle in your presence.
Because I love you, I have made weak my memory of wrong.
Because I love you, I celebrate the good I see in you.
Because I love you, Truth has become even more precious.
Because I love you, I shall forever defend you, trust you, hope
only good for you for the rest of my life unfailing.
This love that God has given me for you shall not fail!
When all that I have has left me and I am left alone with but my
love for you I will be content,
for I am sure that all that is now is partial, but one day soon He
will make my love perfect.
All the loves of my life are childish crushes in comparison to this
full and mature love I have for you.
As dimly as my sight may be this one thing is clear beyond all measure…
Loving you is most dear to my heart.

This poem is so dear to me. We used it in our wedding, for the lighting of the unity candle. Hugh pre-recorded himself reciting the poem to a back ground of instrumental music. I thought it was very unique, and something all our own. It also holds a special significance for us, because Hugh read it to me the night he asked me to marry him.

TUESDAY, JULY 11, 2000
Hugh and I spent the day out in Cascilla visiting with his dad, Ms. Nancy, papa, and granny Claire. We spent most of the day outside visiting. So when Hugh asked me if I would like to go to Memphis for the evening, I suggested that we just spend the evening in town-(Grenada.) Little did I know that he had our engagement planned with dinner at Houston's (our fav. restaurant) and the proposal at the Memphis Botanic Gardens. But I have to give him credit, ya'll! He never even blinked, when I suggested Fiorie's in Grenada. He really wanted me to be surprised, so he just rolled with it, and came up with a quick plan B. We had a lovely dinner. While we were there, Hugh saw Mrs Patti Smith and her husband having dinner as well. Hugh went over to speak to her, because she had recently broken her leg and Hugh was on the ambulance run that went to get her. (As a doctor he has a wonderful bedside manner, because he truly cares about his patients.) Ms. Patti gave him one of the roses she had on their table, which she brought from her own rose garden. She's done the flowers for many weddings in Grenada, and almost did ours, but that's a funny story for another time! After dinner, we went out to Grenada Lakes' man made beach, where we walked along the shore, got our feet wet, and snuggled a bit in the moonlight. Then Hugh said he had something to read to me. So we walked up by a bench that had lamp light where he could see better, and he shared the poem with me. Then he got down on one knee and said, "What I'm trying to say is that I love you with all of my heart, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Of course I said yes, yes, Yes! And he slipped a beautiful ring on my finger. We rushed home to tell his parents and call everyone we knew! Hugh told me how he had gone to Indianola over the weekend, while I was at work and took my parents out to dinner to ask their permission. I told ya'll - True Gentleman! It was one of the most romantic nights of my life!