For Teddy & Sahra ~ The Toast I Didn't Make

Photo by Simply Portraits www.simplycherish.com

Sahra and Teddy just got married. They held a beautiful, intimate ceremony at a beach house near where they both grew up in Northern California.

Sahra and I have been working together for over three years and we also live next door to each other. Our jewelry business has been growing so much lately and we spend most of our time in work mode. I hadn’t taken much time off with Sahra to celebrate the extraordinary life she and Teddy are building until my family and I had the privilege of attending their wedding.

When it was time to give toasts at their reception I really wanted to say some meaningful words. But I hadn’t planned ahead. I have a history with public speaking that if I try to be spontaneous, I start crying so hard that no one can understand me. So I'm taking the advice of one of my favorite Micheal Franti songs “Never Too Late,” to write some words now in honor of the newlyweds.

I got to know Sahra during a hard time in her life. She had a debilitating car accident and Teddy was with her when it happened. In the aftermath they encountered a number of extreme challenges including health, financial and legal battles. They navigated this difficult patch in their lives with such grace and patience. Their bond has grown stronger for the experience, where many other couples would have fallen apart. I am still amazed and how they were able to pick up the pieces and put their lives back together. But I am not at all surprised because Sahra and Teddy are hardy. They are full of gusto and optimism. And so their life reflects this.

I have been with my husband for over 20 years. I am always searching for ways to renew my relationship and keep the passion that I felt when I first met Brett. I get a constant stream of ideas from just being around Sahra.

If you have been to the studio where we work you know it is teensy. One of the advantages of being in this space with Sahra is that her love for and commitment to Teddy is palpable. We have ongoing conversations about our relationships and their ups and downs. And no matter what, the words I hear out of her mouth most often are “I love that man.” She means it down to her core, and you can tell when you hear her say it.

She has a steadfast dedication and a love for Teddy and she doesn’t question it. It is almost contagious! She believes in it. Sahra is younger than me but I learn so much from her. The respect, the daily devotion and the pure open heart that she cultivates with Teddy teaches me so much.

So I raise my glass to you, Teddy and Sahra Cahoon. I wish for you a life full of happiness, of laughter and joy beyond your wildest dreams.

And I also would like to share with you both one of favorite poems that Brett & I had at our own wedding:

Blessing for a Marriage by James Dillet Freeman

May your marriage bring you all the exquisite
excitement marriage should bring,
and may life grant you also patience,
tolerance, and understanding.
May you always need one another -
not so much to fill your emptiness
as to help you to know your fullness.
A mountain needs a valley to be complete;
the valley does not make
the mountain less, but more;
and the valley is more a valley because
it has a mountain towering over it.
May you need one another, but not out of weakness.
May you want one another, but not out of lack.
May you entice one another, but not compel one another.
May you embrace one another, but not out encircle one another.
May you succeed in all important ways with one another,
and not fail in the little graces.
May you look for things to praise, often say, "I love you!"
and take no notice of small faults.
If you have quarrels that push you apart,
may both of you hope to have
good sense enough to take the first step back.
May you enter into the mystery which is
the awareness of one another's
presence - no more physical than spiritual,
warm and near when you are
side by side, and warm and near when
you are in separate rooms
or even distant cities.
May you have happiness,
and may you find it making one another happy.
May you have love, and may you find it loving one another.