Because a holiday season packed with Hanukkah, my birthday, and Christmas just wasn’t enough for Husband and me, we decided to get married, seven years ago today, on New Year’s Day in the city where we met, fell in love, and lived for several years – both as students and as adults.
I knew then and know today that I have found in Husband a best friend and a life companion; what I only guessed at then were the ways in which the contours of my love for him would grow and mature when we decided to bring our sons into the world. For Husband is not only a wonderful partner, he is also an extraordinary father. I am blessed to have found him and feel lucky that he agreed to walk along the path of this shared life by my side.
Husband and I were married in a civil ceremony. We chose selections from our favorite poets and authors to share with our assembled family and friends. Among those was a poem by Yehuda Amichai, “Now That The Water Presses Hard.” I’d like to share it with you today, as a reminder to myself of that special day seven years ago, as a reminder of the power of love in a world of prevailing indifference, as a reminder of the hope of spring on this wintry first dawn of a new year.
Now that the water presses hard
On the walls of the dam,
Now that the returning white storks
In the middle of the firmament
Turn into flocks of jet planes,
We will feel again how strong are the ribs,
How bold the warm air in the lungs,
How urgent the daring to love in the open plain,
When great dangers arch overhead
And how much love is needed
To fill all the empty vessels
And the watches that stopped telling time,
And how much breath,
A blizzard of breath
To sing the little Song of Spring.
This post first appeared, in slightly different fashion, one year ago today.
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Happy Anniversary! And New Year! And birthday (belated) and…
Indeed, it appears you had a busy–but beautiful–December as well! :-)
And oh my word, that poem is breathtaking. And tear-inducing. A gorgeous piece, fitting of you.
Happy Anniversary ,Kristen ! What a beautiful post about your marriage. It’s a blessing ! I smiled as I read Yehuda Amichai, I read him as a child. This brought me some nostalgia of my childhood in Israel. I wish you and your family a happy new year and happiness always.
Happy anniversary!
What a wonderful piece. Thank you so much for sharing it.
xo
Happy Anniversary to you and yours, sweet lady!
I loved reading all of this. Remembering “the power of love in a world of prevailing indifference” is a great way for all of us to start the New Year. Happy seven years. I’m glad to get to read along as you embark on year #8, which has plenty of New in store!
Happy happy Anniversary :)
We got married during the holiday season too–for practical reasons. That’s when we were able to take off from med school. We took our boards, got married, and had a WHOLE WEEK before we had to go back to the hospital.
Happy anniversary.
Happy anniversary! My parents got married on new years eve, and always said the world celebrates with them. May 2011 bring you terrific joys! (and possibly full nights of sleep before 2012?)
Happy Anniversary, I always thought marrying over the holiday season would be so special.
It looks like is.
Many more blessed years to you!
Happy anniversary – so smart to celebrate during a holiday – you’ll always be off work!
I too remember reading Amichai in Israel. I remember one moment in particular, sitting on a hillside in Jerusalem. I was 16 and in love with a girl who sat not far from me. I haven’t thought of that moment in years, but the poem and picture in your post reminded me of it.
I am afraid I am going to have to blame you for the wool gathering that will follow this. More importantly I wish you nothing but the best- I hope that your anniversary and the coming year bring you much joy.
Happy Anniversary!
Happy anniversary! What a wonderful way to begin the year! And such a powerful poem to try to verbalize the love that has continued to fule your lives for these past seven years! Here’s to a lifetime of such moments….
**fuel**
…sigh…
I guess that some things carry over into the New Year…ditziness being one of them…Cheers!
Best vows ever.
What a wonderful poem. I hadn’t read it before, so thank you for introducing it to me. Happy Anniversary!
What a wonderful way to start each year! Congratulations and Happy New Year!
I remember little bits of this post from last year but that doesn’t take away how marvelous it is.
Happy Anniversary to you and your husband.
Lucky Seven—Happy Anniversary to you both. Your love is the sturdy vessel, and as well the much needed overflow that ripples out into the world. Wishing you all the best.
Happy Anniversary, New Year and belated birthday! Love the picture and the poem left me breathless. Hope year #7 is full of joy.
Happy Annivesary to both of you. I hope you had some time to connect and reflect and generally enjoy each other’s company on this most special of days. Here’s to all the greatness that awaits you in 2011.
xo
Happy Anniversary! What a wonderful way to start out a new year. Enjoy!
Happy Anniversary! Wishing you another year of rich, deep love that fills all the empty vessels to overflowing.
Happy Anniversary! Wishing you a lifetime of love, luck and cupcakes.
Ahh, happy anniverary and New Year to you both.
Thank you all for your warm and wonderful anniversary wishes. By our standards, Husband and I celebrated in high style: dinner out followed by a movie (*True Grit*, highly recommended).
Happy 2011 to us all!
Thank you all for your warm and wonderful anniversary wishes. By our standards, Husband and I celebrated in high style: dinner out followed by a movie (True Grit, highly recommended).
Happy 2011 to us all!
Happy Anniversary Kristen!! Congrats to you and hubby :). Hope you have 7×7 more, and even more after that. Happy 2011!
Happy anniversary! And, many, many more.
Happy Anniversary!
We’re celebrating 14 years tomorrow, and every year I wonder what I was thinking getting married right around the holidays and right before my birthday. But I love winter weddings and would do it all again!
Happy Anniversary to you too, Missy!
Happy, happy anniversary! And Happy New Year! I find it so inspiring/romantic/beautiful that you chose January 1st to begin your lives together. And such a poetic anniversary it will always be – honoring the history you’re creating and looking ahead, beginning a new chapter.
Thanks, Jane. We thought a lot about the symbolism of getting married on New Year’s Day. Also, coming from two different religious backgrounds, we liked the idea of adopting a non-religious holiday as the starting point for our family. And so far, so good!
A very very happy anniversary to you both (belatedly), and many many more. xoxo, BLW
Happy Anniversary, Kristen! I remember your sixth and am happy that our bloggy friendship has now marked this much time! I also was amazed by what a great father my husband turned out to be and amazed at how much I enjoyed watching him stretch and change (he was 36 when I met him!) Having teens is a different type of challenge. Sometimes I think we’ll both just lock ourselves in our room and hope they get off to college okay…
Thanks, Linda. All of my friends with teenagers warn me about this phenomenon; and, having taught and lived at a boarding school for several years, I have a hint of what’s to come. At the very least, I guess we’re lucky to have partners to help us feel saner during a crazy time – rather than the other way around! :)
Luckily, we breathe without thinking. Many times that filling is what has gotten me to my springs.
My marriage has made me so very full. Full of what? Sometimes I have a difficult time articulating it. It feels elusive as this breath that breathes me.
This is an auspicious year for me and my husband: on Jan. 11 we will have been married more years than not. That feels big for me. We got married a little untraditionally. We ran away. We didn’t tell anyone we were married for a year and a half. Marriage was not a thing to emulate in my family and, in retrospect, I can see that I needed to do it differently so I could settle into my own rhythm of the thing. It’s worked pretty well so far.
Someone asked Madeline L’Engle (author of “A Wrinkle in Time”) once what was the best thing she did for her children. Her answer: “I loved my husband.” I wish you most hearty congratulations.
Thank you for sharing that Madeline L’Engle quote, Rebecca. I love it.
And happy anniversary wishes in advance to you and your husband – traditional or nontraditional, a marriage that lasts as long as yours must be made out of the good stuff (however we define that). And I’m intrigued by the date of your coming celebration: 1/11/11. I don’t know anything about the meaning of numbers, but I feel like that’s an auspicious one, no?
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