7/28/16 In sickness and in health

Dear Family and Friends,

A couple of weeks ago I entered a contest in Sunset Magazine to try to win a trip to Tofino, BC, which is on the Pacific Ocean on the west coast of Vancouver Island in Canada.  To enter, you had to write about why you deserved to win.  I wrote about wanting to win for my wonderful husband, Steve, and told them about the many ways he has fulfilled his promise, all those years ago, to love me, in sickness and in health, for as long as we both shall live.  Guess what?  We won the contest, and in October will enjoy a fully paid trip to Tofino, courtesy of Sunset Magazine!  

In honor of Steve, and the tremendous gift from God that he has been to me, I want to share with you the words Renee spoke as she officiated our Vow Renewal Ceremony on the beach in Maui on our 32nd anniversary a year and a half ago.  Oh, and just so you know, the ceremony concluded with Daniel serenading us with two songs on his ukulele--Fools Rush In and Groovy Kind of Love.  As you will see when you read this, despite cancer and the struggles of having to consider my mortality at too young an age, I have had the best life, and I am so thankful to all of you who have played a role in making it so.  

Love, Gabrielle

Words shared by Renee Dudley as she officiated our vow renewal ceremony on our 

32^nd anniversary!

December 18, 2014

Mom and Dad,

We are here together in God’s presence in this beautiful place to celebrate your last 32 years together and to witness the renewal of your commitment to one another.  The last time you stood together to affirm your love for each other, you were both younger than me.  And while twenty-somethings often think they know everything, you really had no idea what your futures together would hold. 

You didn’t know that Dad would finish vet school and move right along to med school.  You didn’t know Mom’s career in fund raising would take her all the way to the White House and then back to her alma mater, SPU.  You didn’t know you’d move from charming Pullman, to a flea-infested house in Linden, to a place in Lake City with a giant back yard, and then to a big house near King’s with an unbelievable four bathrooms.  You didn’t know you’d get to travel together to Mexico, the Caribbean, Alaska, all over Europe, and back here to where you honeymooned in Hawaii.  You didn’t know that you would have two amazing children—a gloriously good-looking and brilliant daughter, Renee, and also a boy named Daniel.  Who, to be fair, is talented and handsome to an absurd degree. 

You didn’t know 32 years ago all the joys you’d experience together—celebrating when each of you were published in various trade journals and newspapers; getting promotions and raises; finally buying a boat; vacationing in your favorite places; eating in incredible restaurants like Canlis and the Herbfarm; and watching your kids grow from cute babies to a future doctor and a future trust officer, both of whom love God and care about people. 

But you also had no idea, all those years ago, the trials that lay ahead—times of immense stress, loss, discord in our extended family, years of difficult graduate schooling and little money, and more health struggles than belong in any one family.  You didn’t know any of this was coming, but God did, and that’s why He gave you each other.  He knew even before you did that your life’s joys would be exponentially sweeter for being shared with one another, and more importantly, He knew you would need each other to get through all the trials.  Dad, even back when you were a little twerp running around Australia with not quite shiny enough shoes, God knew it would be Mom who eventually encouraged you through all your various careers and who listened to your worries and your doubts.  And Mom, back when you were marching into John Hay Elementary School asserting your right to wear pants to school, God knew it would be Dad who would one day hold your hand when you were diagnosed with cancer, and who would do anything to ease your burdens when you were discouraged.  It is so clear that God had you picked out for each other. 

I have watched with admiration over the years as you have leaned on each other and worked together through every hard time, each of you seamlessly picking up where the other leaves off.  In Deuteronomy 31, God promises:  “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”  This can be a frustrating verse when everything is crashing down around us and we feel like God is nowhere to be seen.  But I believe that God’s presence in our lives most often takes the form of other people showing us God’s love.  When each of you was born, God promised never to forsake you, no matter what came.  He fulfilled that promise to you by giving you each other.  He has provided comfort and support through every trial in the form of your spouse.  You are each the other person’s greatest gift from God, and that is what we celebrate today. 

For 32 years you have done a remarkable job fulfilling the promises to each other in that Christmas-decorated church in lower Queen Anne.  And now we’re back in Hawaii, where you first celebrated your marriage, to witness as you recommit yourselves to each other.

[Then Renee said a beautiful prayer and Steve and I read our new hand-written vows, sobbing, and Renee concluded by having us repeat these vows she wrote for us]:

With this ring, I promise to love you, support you, care for you, and serve God with you, all the days of my life. 

There is no greater gift from God than to get to
walk through life married to your best friend.  :-)