Year 11. Our Wedding Vows

This was previously written and emailed to all Stone Creek Coffee employees on January 1, 2017, regarding the highlight of one of our company's 13 Core Commitments. 

1. KEEP YOUR COMMITMENTS – Every good commitment has a due date, a clearly defined deliverable, and one person responsible. A good commitment maker will not over-commit and will deliver as committed or will notify their team well in advance if unable to do so.   

When Eric and I were engaged, we met with the Minister (who would officiate our wedding) a countless number of times specifically to draft and edit our wedding vows to each other. This might be a simple thing to check off a list, but I was in graduate school in Michigan at the time, and the minister insisted we edit these vows in person. He kept challenging our drafted vows to each other -- questioning whether or not what we wrote was actually feasible as a promise, or simply hyperbole. It quickly became, for me, one of the most unromantic exercises I had ever done...

However, it was because he was so insistent about it, and because he had our best intentions at heart, Eric and I drafted some pretty damn awesome commitments to each other – commitments we can keep. We share and say our vows to each other every year on our anniversary. It is so amazingly both romantic and consistent, that the craziness of life seems so doable when you can keep the simple commitments you've made to those who mean a lot to you. So, my advice to you is: keep your commitments simple and doable for the greatest impact for yourself and for those around you.

Below are Eric and my wedding vows and our commitments to each other:

Melissa:

Eric, you are my best friend. Your positive determination and your goodness inspire the best within me.  My blessed life is full of laughter and happiness because you are in it. Kindness and respect are the greatest gifts I could ever receive or give.  I promise to cherish you with kindness and respect you with all of my heart for the rest of our days.

Eric:

Melissa, you are amazing and I am so glad I found you.  I love you for the wonder with which you walk through life.  I love you for your gentle soul.  I love you for your intellect.  I promise to be kind and respect you.  I promise to support your dreams.  I promise, to love you above all else, forever and ever.