A prayerful bride

Dear ladies,

With only two days to go before the Big Day, what I mostly have in my head right now are incoherent bits of thoughts, such as "oh, my!"; "it's really soon"; "I can't believe it's actually happening"; I would love to take some time right now to dedicate to deep and serious thoughts about marriage - but somehow, words fail me. All I can do is pray, fervently pray for my future husband, myself and the new home we hope to build together; pray for love and kindness, faithfulness and devotion, good health and provision for us and any children God in His grace will give us.

An exciting part of our new life is moving away from the city into a rural area, something my dear chatan and I both look forward to. We rented a little home in a lovely, beautiful place, with future prospects to settle there permanently. Our home is still mostly bare and empty, and there is so much work to do before we can say we have really settled in - but I'm looking forward to every moment of it. What can be more exciting than a completely new and fresh start together?

I thank you so much, dear friends - those who have been faithfully visiting this little corner of the web ever since I started blogging a year ago; those who dropped by for the first time only a few months or even weeks ago; and all of you, who have been so kindly and generously thinking about us, praying for us, and writing to me to express your loving wishes! Thanks to all who offered their support and priceless friendship.

I do hope I will be able to get back to blogging (and upload wedding pictures!) soon enough - exactly when, I cannot say, since we don't have a computer and internet connection yet. Whether this takes a week, two weeks, a month, or more - I know I will dearly miss hearing from all of you. What a privilege it has been to share my joys and trials with all of you. I have been amazed again and again, seeing your sweet generosity and loving kindness.

I will finish for now with a liberal translation from Hebrew of the bride's prayer, which I will say on the day of my wedding:

"So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. And it is said: "For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh."
God, woman and man You created, You gave them a pure soul and wrote Your holy name in them. God, listen to the voice of my prayer.
I, the bride, stand before You today, ready and willing, in holiness and purity, to enter the chuppah by the Law of Moses and Israel; I raise my prayer before You, my God and the God of my fathers, who forgives the sins of His people of Israel, to forgive us all our sins and bless us, as it is said: "and He shall love you, and bless you, and multiply you, and blessed will be the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your earth."
Let this hour be an hour of mercy and a time of willingness before You,
Amen.