Maria and I have decided to get married at Bedlam Farm. We haven’t figure out the details yet, but my daughter Emma will be my best man, Lenore will be a flower girl, and the donkeys will be in attendance. It should be a curious wedding.  We will do in the Quaker style, that is, we will write and exchange our own vows, and Maria will give herself away, as I will. There will be some silence and friends and family will be welcome to offer messages if they wish.

We were going to get married in the Quaker Meeting House, but we both realized that the farm is our church in many ways, our creative home, our connection to one another. I haven’t figured out Rose and the sheep yet.

I got a much appreciated message from Barbara, who wrote that she listens to beautiful music as she checks in on the blog. Very nice. She wrote something quite beautiful as well. She said: “My husband and I are celebrating our 20th year of marriage (second marriages for both of us) this month and I know how ownderful it can be to finally find the right person. They say that second marriages are the “triumph of hope over experience,” and I know that will be true for yours.”

What a powerful sentiment, and I read it to Maria and we were both much moved by it. Many people warned me against re-marrying. Why marry again? Many second marriages fail? We both had things to work through.

But Barbara is correct. A second marriage is, in fact,a triumph of home. I want to do it right. I want to share my life. There are no certainties in life, no guarantees. Life happens, again and again.  These past few years were the worst years of my life, and the best and never, not for one second, did I give up on the hope that I would find love. I have no doubts about getting married, and it is what we have both hoped for, for much of our lives. Experience is important, it defines much of what we believe. I would not want to live a life without hope, whatever happens. If I give up on hope, I will give up on life. Thanks, Barbara.

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Rose and I will be at Merck Forest herding lambs and sheep at 2 p.m. Sunday. Public is welcome, admission is free.

Also, check out Bedlam Farm Spring notecards on Redux. And quilts, potholders, bags and good stuff on yesnoquilts.com, Affordable art for Mother’s Day and any day. Coming soon: stone wall notecards, dogs in the garden, and, I suspect, some donkeys.