(Name) and (name), I rejoice with you today, and I know your families are pleased, too - glad that you are making this leap of faith into marriage. Life has not been easy on either of you, but you have come today to publicly make a statement of hope and optimism because of your mutual love. It's exciting, not only for you, but for us all.

This event is going to create some jarring changes in your lives, and you will experience more than a little stress. You might even call it a crisis. Now I know we usually associate the word crisis with something negative, but that's not necessarily the case. Any event which creates tension, for good or bad, is called a crisis.

In the past you have both experienced some tragic crises, and you carry scars because of them. Those scars, however, are signs …