This past weekend my husband and I attended the wedding of our cousins and celebrated their union and love. It got me thinking and I wanted to write down my thoughts and shed some light on marriage, love, and everything in between. While sitting through the ceremony seeing my beautiful cousin marry her best friend it got me thinking how love is such a beautiful and unique thing.

Every love story is unique and beautiful and I may be bias but I think are is my favorite. While sitting and listening to the priest and the readings chosen for their special day it got me thinking…. I started to think about my husband, Mark and our marriage. For some of you who don’t know, Mark and I have been together now for 9 years and married for 4 years. Our relationship has seen it’s share of ups and downs like everyone does. If anyone ever tells you their marriage is perfect, they are lying and not being true to themselves. Sometimes you need to go through some tough times to realize the good in your relationship, but I say this very lightly and I mean only sometimes.

Often times, life will teach you a lot of things. It will also throw you some curve balls that will test you and your marriage. It’s those test, obstacles and challenges that will definitely make you see what’s worth it. Even through all the trials and tribulations, you have to think about what’s truly important to you and how you and your partner got here. Sometimes these bumps in the road require both of you to reevaluate, regroup and re-center. Through it all, your marriage and relationship will stand the test of time, but in the end, always remember the why. Why did you get marriage? Why are you with your partner?  Think back to the love you both share and tell yourself, what matters most to you and your partner.  Is love still there?  Is this still worth it?   What I’m essentially getting at is that while witnessing the union between our cousins it made me think about my marriage and the why. Even after 4 years of marriage and 9 years together my why is still the same for the both of us. The trials and tribulations, and the part in your vows, “For Better and for worse…” that’s the part when life sends you those obstacles to teach you lessons and to make you stronger, not just as individuals but united as one.   Someone once told me, when you love hard you fight even harder. Maybe this is the case for us and many other couples. But I believe that life teaches us a lot of lessons for a reason. Maybe to test our strength, to test our marriage and us as a whole. But, I’m a firm believer that it will definitely make you stronger in the long run.

Both my husband and I  have said and admitted after that we both said things we didn’t mean, because of anger, in the end we can’t imagine our lives without each of us in it. So, to all the couples out there, remember marriage and any relationship requires work, time, loyalty, communication and being completely open and honest with one another. When gets you down, remember to always talk everything out until your all talked out. Communication and healthy communication is the root to everything.  Face each problem head on. Make each other remember the why, why you two are in this situation and why you got married in the first place. It’s ok to agree to disagree, but know that every relationship is always about compromise. No one is ever always right.There is never “I” in a WE, once you say “I do,” you two are partners in marriage and partners in life. No matter what, you two make the decisions together. Remain a united front always, no matter what.

To our cousins and all the couples out there , I wish you all the very best. May your lives be filled with much love, happiness, laughter and lots of blessings. Know that you are never alone. Know that every relationship goes through their share of ups and downs. Know that every argument is worth fighting for no matter what. Always remember the why and always remember to love and cherish one another.

I’ll leave you with this prayer that has stayed with us since day one of our new chapter as husband and wife.

A Marriage Prayer

Lord, help us to remember when we first met and the strong love that grew between us.

To work that love into practical things so nothing can divide us.

We ask for words both kind and loving, and for hearts always ready to ask forgiveness as well as to forgive.

Dear Lord, we put our marriage into your hands. Amen

Love is truly a beautiful and unique things, with so many twist and turns. Love is something we should always cherish and hold close to our heart. <3 But hey, it’s all part of this crazy thing called life.

As always, thanks for reading, following along and supporting my journey!

For many couples, they are overjoyed, excited, basically filled with every emotion possible when that moment happens…. When your longtime sweetheart ask you to be his wife. It’s a long awaited moment bringing two people together to become one.  After watching this video, I couldn’t help but cry because it was so sad yet so touching all at the same time.

(Photo Credit : www.weddingsatwork.com)

Rowden and Liezl planned to marry on July 8th, 2014, on his 30th birthday. In the midst of the planning their upcoming nuptials, the couple found out that Rowden was diagnosed with stage IV liver cancer. Rowden’s last request was to marry Liezl. With the help of his family, friends, and the Philippine General Hospital, Rowden received his dying wish.

On his deathbed, he said “I Do” do Liezl for all his family, friends, and the hospital to witness. Sadly, on June 8th 2014, Rowden passed away, less than 10 hours after his wedding. His memory lives on with his wife, his family and friends. He passed away with this unforgettable moment that he and Liezl shared.

My condolences goes out to his wife Liezl, his family and friends. This video was so touching and heartfelt.  Rowden is no longer suffering, and he is survived by his wife Leizel May, daughter Zakiah Rowzel, mother Lorelei, and brothers Hasset & Hisham. May he rest in peace.

Rowden’s brother Hasset Go shared this video that went viral. Watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVocnNIgKwY&feature=youtu.be

( I do not own the rights to this video)

Watching this and hearing their story really touched my heart. It made me think about love and all its possibilities. It also made me think about my faith too. The bond that two people share, and the love that’s within two people is so powerful, that against all odds Love shines through. Though Rowden got his dying wish, by marrying Liezl, he still lost his fight to cancer. Cancer is such a deadly killer and I hope one day we can find a cure for all cancers so we won’t lose the ones we love so soon.

This story was so touching, I had to share it with you all for my Wedding Wednesday series.  Against all odds, love is out there for all of us, Even in our last moments, love happens. I hope this story and video touched your heart and inspired your souls as it did for me.  Never lose faith on love, it’s out there. Never lose hope, for Rowden didn’t. Even though he was dying, he still married the love of his life. He remains now, the guardian angel for his wife and his family always looking down and watching over them.

Remember that even when the going gets tough, and your stressed to the bone with all the wedding planning, remember why you’re marrying your partner. Why did love happen for you? Amidst everything, never lose sight on your love and its’ meaning. Every love story has a something unique, for Rowden and Lizel, they had a fairytale love, that will last in their hearts and minds forever. What does your love story tell…….

What would you do for love?

What gives you hope? What inspires you most when it comes to love?

Please share your thoughts and comments, I’d love to hear from you!

XO,

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