24 years...Rewriting the vows

Twenty-four years ago, I stood with my husband-to-be before a crowd of family and friends pledging my love to him as we exchanged our vows.

I, Dianne Lynette Bender, in the presence of God and these witnesses take you, Leonard Wynn Maust to be my wedded husband. 
I said "I do" then and I still "do" today.
I will love and cherish you, 
Love hasn't always been easy and I had a lot of growing to do to learn what love really is, but I had a great teacher in you. 
care for and sustain you in health and sickness,
I hope I've cared for you in making our various houses into homes for you to come to at the end of the day. We have been blessed with health, you and I and I hope that if the day comes when we aren't, that I will be true to the words I spoke that day. 
 and in prosperity and adversity. 
Ah yes, we have had our fair share of adversity but it has always been tempered with splashes of prosperity, not just with finances, but with so many aspects of our lives. 
I will share with you the joys and sorrows of life, 
Somehow, with you by my side, even the sorrows are life are bearable and you help me see joy once again. 
exercise kindness, patience and forbearance toward you as becometh a faithful Christian wife, 
Okay, still working on these...
and forsaking all others, keep myself only to you as long as we both shall live. 
This part is the easy one. I love you for who you are, just as God created you. You are my man. 

Leo and I did not write our vows to each other for our wedding day. We used a version used by many others before us. Today, if I were to write my vows, it would probably go like this:

I, Dianne Lynette Maust, having loved God first, is so thankful that He saw fit to bring Leo into my life. Having me fall in love at the age of 16 was in His plan from Day 1 of my life and there is no other man that I want to spend my life with. I do gladly take Leo to be my husband.

I do love and cherish you, even on those days that I forget to say so, or my frown says otherwise. One reason I love you is how, when I want to smile the very least, you get me too. I just can't help myself. I cherish you because of your strong moral character that mixes with your sense of humor and shows itself in everything you do. 

I love making a home with you, a place where we can relax, laugh, dance, or cry. Being able to curl up next to you at the end of the day is my favorite part. As a nurse, I know I can take care of you in sickness or health, but I am so thankful it has been mostly health. (You aren't a very good patient, you know, but I would try.)

We may not be loaded with money, and we will probably never be out of debt, but we are rich in the ways that count. Our family, our children are worth more than anything Fort Knox could ever hope to hold. Even if we had to leave our farm and possessions behind, I know wherever we are, it will be together, and it would be okay.  

You have stood by me through some of my darkest nights and loneliest days. Depression was a pit threatening to swallow me whole, but you wouldn't let go. You have shared my sorrows, but you have brought me many joys. I want to do the same for you.

Kindness, patience, forbearance (what is that anyhow?). . . not always what I am good at by any means, but I will try. With God's help, I want to be a blessing to you in whatever you need, whenever you need it. I think though, that I will have days that I will fail, just as you will. It is at those time that I offer forgiveness and grace to you as a gift, because they were also freely given to me. 

I love you, shorter, blond and handsome. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, dancing in the kitchen, holding hands when we walk, kissing on the street, laughing at jokes only we understand, saying nothing but yet understanding each other completely. 

You, Leo are my one and only.

Til death do us part, and even then, only for a time.

Love,
Dianne

P.S. I came home to a bunch of helium balloons, all with the inscription " I Love U" penned by Leo. 
All except one balloon which read " He who finds a wife finds a Good thing."

Sigh. 

Be still my beating heart. :)