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Sometimes it is the simplest things that make you appreciate what you have . Sure, it would be nice to have a bigger house, perhaps that luxury car and a chance to go on a vacation of a lifetime with no budget. Occasionally daydreams of striking it rich so that I never have to work again dance in my head along with the wish of having the perfect body and hair that I don't have to work so hard to achieve. All of these would be so wonderful but then when I bring my head out of the clouds that are my wishes and dreams I see something simple, something perhaps inconsequential to another person that reminds me how fortunate I am...how lucky I am...how truly blessed and rich I am.

Like sand.

Sand? 

Yes, sand.

This last weekend I attended a family wedding and enjoyed a twist on the ever popular unity candle. Instead of two candles lighting one candle to represent the union and bond of the happy couple, there was the pouring and mixing of sand. It really was  perfect.

"Love is the eternal force of life. Love is the force that allows us to face fear and uncertainty with courage. But although you will be sharing one life, never forget that you are two separate people. Cherish and affirm your differences. Love each other. Keep your commitment primary. Together you will laugh and cry, be sick and well, be happy and angry, share and grow. Grow sometimes together, sometimes separately. To symbolize the importance within the marriage and the joining of two lives into one entity, three colors of sand will now be layered into a base.

We begin with a layer of neutral sand which symbolizes that the marriage is grounded.

Then we layer the individual colors. This symbolizes that the marriage is based on strength of the individuals.

And now we combine the colors, which symbolizes two lives joined as one together forever."

As I watched the sand being poured, layered and mixed I found myself reflecting on my own marriage to my darling hubs. It has been quite the ride over the last 26 years. That force of nature called love certainly kept us going during some pretty incredible and some pretty hellacious times. We have prevailed thus far thanks to love and I imagine we will continue to thrive and live because of it. But the fact that we appreciate the individuals in this union, the fact that we still love and accept one another in spite of our views on coke versus pepsi or country versus rock & roll or even more fundamental values like Republican versus Democrat, I think these are what make the "us" in our union so special. How blessed we are. How grateful we are. 

I hope and pray for the same for the bride and the groom who played in the sand this weekend.

More Adventures in Juggling can be found at http://adventuresinjuggling.wordpress.com