Creating and curating a marriage

When my sister was getting married, I wrote this poem for the prayers at the wedding. She and her husband have always loved Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken”, hence the pastiche. 

This summer (2026) the third Enola Holmes film has a central theme of marriage and asks whether you can be married and still stay an individual. I loved the film but I was saddened by the relentless emphasis on individual realisation, rather than the idea of creating something together. Perhaps water goes too far as an image of togetherness, as you wouldn’t be able to pick out which molecules were who, but the idea of experiencing a continuum of events  together in a continuous interaction, whilst staying rooted in each other and the vows you took seemed appropriate.

When we were married, a good friend said that she wasn’t just delighted for each of us but because when she thought of us, she would think not just of us as friends and individuals, but would think of us as becoming something new, "a family". 

I hope the fictional Enola finds the joy of contributing to something beyond herself, whilst staying true to herself. 

The artwork for our card, by Faith Guilford, was commissioned for a Golden Wedding celebration and the poem works for both weddings and anniversaries. 

FROM THIS DAY FORWARD

or

ANNIVERSARY PRAYER

"Two streams joined together in a dappled glade
And thankful, Lord, that you had nurtured both
To this true moment, long I prayed
For all that life-long soulmates made
Whatever might befall their path.

The streams flowed faster now, as one
Quite danced along, and could be heard
Gurgling over rock and stone;
Their joys not just for themselves to own
But in each others, glimpsing your joy, Lord.

And whether through eddy or waterfall,
Together they flowed, inseparable;
Bound by your commands of love
And knowing those vows, so dear to both
Were truth, in a world inexplicable.

I shall be telling this, with a smile
To family and friends, whenever hence:
Two streams joined together in a dappled glade,
And Lord, where you were their strength and guide,
That made all the difference."