Life has no singular meaning; rather, it is composed of many meaningful events, some of which can be specified and planned for. One of these events is marriage.

Adam and Teresa, today you are surrounded by your families, gathered to witness your marriage and to share in the joy of this occasion on one of the most memorable and happy days of your life.

As you know, no minister, no priest, no rabbi, no public official, can marry you. Only you can marry yourselves. By a mutual commitment to love each other, to work toward creating an atmosphere of care and consideration and respect, by a willingness to face the tensions and anxieties that underlie human life, you can make your wedded life come alive.

Now, I'd like to read a few verses on marriage from "The Prophet" by Kahlil Gibran:

You were born together, and together you shall be forever more.

But let there be spaces in your togetherness.
Love one another, but make not a bond of love.
Let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls.

Sing and dance together and be joyous, but let each one of you be alone,
Even as the strings of a lute are alone, though they quiver with the same music.

Give your hearts, but not into each other's keeping,
For only the hand of life can contain your hearts.

And stand together, yet not too near together,
For the pillars of the temple stand apart,
And the oak tree and the cypress grow not in each other's shadow.

In traditional religions, it is customary to call down a blessing upon the bride and groom. But I know that you share with me the conviction that how two people love and treat one another and contribute to the community of men and women is more important than their formal religious beliefs. You stand before me today as two mature and thoughtful people who wish to express their emotions within the framework of a meaningful life. For your self-reliance and courage and love, you deserve respect, and it is these attributes which make this a serious but not solemn occasion.

I would like at this time to speak of some of the things which we wish for you. First of all, we wish for you a love that makes both of you better people, that continues to give you joy and zest for living, that provides you with energy to face the responsibilities of life.

We wish for you a home -- not a place of stone and wood, but an island of sanity and serenity in a frenzied world. We hope that this home is not just a place of private joy and retreat, but rather serves as a temple wherein the values of your life are generated and upheld.

We hope that your home stands as a symbol of humans living together in love and peace, seeking truth and demanding justice.

We hope that your home encompasses the beauty of nature -- that it has within it the elements of simplicity, exuberance, beauty, silence, color, and a concordance with the rhythms of life.

We wish for you a home with books and poetry, and art and music -- a home with all the things which represent the highest strivings of men and women.

Finally, we wish that at the end of your lives, you will be able to say these two things to each other: Because you have loved me, you have given me faith in myself; and, because I have seen the good in you, I have received from you a faith in humanity.

Adam, please place this ring on Teresa's finger. Do you, Adam, promise that from this day onward she will be your wife and you will stand with her in sickness and health, in joy and sorrow, and do you pledge to her your respect and your love?

ADAM: I do.

Teresa, please place this ring on Adam's finger. Do you, Teresa, promise that from this day onward he will be your husband and you will stand with him in sickness and health, in joy and sorrow, and do you pledge to him your respect and your love?

TERESA: I do.

Please join hands.

Now, by the power vested in me by the State of Minnesota, I pronounce you married. You may now call yourselves by those two old and respected names: Wife and Husband.