DREW'S DELIBERATIONS


June 26th
The following is what I wrote for our wedding ceremony


STRUCTURAL RELATIONS
To build a structure that can withstand the stresses and strains this world may put upon it one must start with strong building blocks. I don't think I have to tell anyone here that Michele and I have taken the time to define ourselves fully as individuals. But the strength of a structure is not only dependent on the individual components. For a structure to withstand the forces of nature the components must be joined very carefully in a way which takes advantage of the inherent strengths of the components and does not produce stresses that could lead to failure in a component and thus collapse of the structure. Several philosophies exist for accomplishing these connections. One says make the bond so strong and rigid that it can take the highest load we can ever imagine. This guarantees that the joint will not fail, but can lead to extremely high stresses in the individual components which can permanently damage the structure. The second philosophy says make the joint ductile or forgiving. This allows the structure to give and deform under load which limits the stresses on the components. Under extreme pressure the ductile joint may sustain significant damage but the building blocks remain intact allowing the structure to be repaired. This repair is much easier made than the repairing of a damaged component. Michele and I have taken the past four years to construct such a ductile joint between us. The joint may deform and need occasional repair but the structure of our relationship stands and we as individuals maintain all of our strength. The forgiving nature of our joint is based on trust.

THE CIRCLE OF TRUST
with trust, two may become one
whitin oneness, deception is impossible
without deception, honesty is assured
with honesty, there can be no jealousy
without jealousy, there is trust

It is with this trust in Michele and in us together that I joyously enter into this union.

© 1998 michele_drew@hotmail.com

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