As we all gear up for the holiday season and i turn my focus on giving thanks for blessings, i want to clear up the air for anybody who may see it and wonder but be afraid to ask: yes, my tree skirt is an old tablecloth.

It was purchased on clearance several years ago, right after deciding to quit my career in exchange for being a homemaker. It was a scary transition to say the least, and exceedingly difficult in today’s economic reality. But never once did i give up on the notion that i could financially contribute to the home. Instead of earning income, i shouldered the burden of saving what i could.

i got rid of my car. Clipped coupons, learned how to do my own hair, cooked in season, learned to sew. i made handmade gifts at a fraction of the cost, handmade bread at a fraction of the cost, bought second hand clothes at a fraction of the cost.

It was work. Hard work. And i got good at it.

i cannot imagine the weight of being the Head of Household. But i do know i want to lessen it.

Now years down the road, adjusted to change and with belts a little looser, i put out our family’s beautiful holiday tree and for just a moment consider running to the store to pick out a plush new Christmas tree skirt. We can afford it, and the old one looks a little worn, threadbare, not necessarily matching the updated decor.

The thought passes quickly with the memory of our home being built on both earning and saving, and how lucky we are to have any tree skirt, plus a tree, plus presents around it, plus most importantly, our family around it. We are blessed.

And the reality is, that tablecloth posing as a tree skirt may mean my Husband has to work one less hour next week.

That means one more hour as a family. One less hour of stress.

One hour of storytelling, one family dinner He can make on time, one hour of hot chocolate, one Charlie Brown Christmas.

One hour of what really matters.

So please don’t judge that little red and green plaid tablecloth too harshly. It’s got us busy making memories.

Kind Regards,
Mrs. Darling

On October 25, 2014 MR and I came together to celebrate our fifth wedding anniversary with a Recommitment Ceremony. It took place at a local play party and we were delighted to be surrounded by the love and support of many our local BDSM community members. It was an incredible evening and we were so happy to be able to share such a rich-in-tradition ceremony with those important to us.

My husband and I wanted to recommit in two ways: first by renewing our wedding vows and secondly by MR recollaring me as his slave. We together crafted the ceremony to be a meaningful reflection of us. And when the time arrived, the crowd disappeared and it was just about he and I.

We were refreshed. We were renewed.

Here I would like to share the ceremony from our 1950’s style Recommitment Ceremony, including The Ceremony of Roses.

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The Recommitment Ceremony of MR and Mrs. Darling

The Facilitator- Master A.

Owner- MR

slave- Mrs. Darling

1^st Witnesses –R. and G.

2^nd Witnesses – A. and B.

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Ceremony

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1. Greeting

Master A. rings a bell to signal the beginning.

Master A.: “Welcome all. We gather in this place at this moment to observe and celebrate two journeys met, one of time and the other of distance. Two souls, two bodies, two hearts and two destinies will be bonded before us.

Tonight they celebrate their recommitment as both Husband and wife, as well as Master and slave. The power they will exchange binds them together as surely as any rope or chain could ever. It is a locking of hearts, minds, spirits, and souls. It strengthens them and makes them one.”

Master A rings the bell to bring in Mrs. Darling and ladies.

2. Renew Wedding Vows

Master A.:

“Love is friendship caught on fire; it is quiet, mutual confidence, sharing and forgiving. It is loyalty through the good and bad times. It settles for less than perfection, and makes allowances for human weaknesses.

Love is content with the present, hopes for the future, and does not brood over the past. It is the day-in and day-out chronicles of irritations, problems, compromises, small disappointments, big victories, and working toward common goals.

If you have love in your life, it can make up for a great many things you lack. If you do not have it, no matter what else there is, it is not enough.

It is because of that love for each other that you have decided to congregate today and publically declare your vows that you have written for each other.

Speak those loving words to each other now.”

(Personalized wedding vows read- MR and Mrs. Darling)

Master A.:

“MR and Mrs. Darling, remove each other’s wedding band from the hand that wears it.”

“MR, sweep Mrs. Darling’s ring through the fire. Allow the flames to kiss the metal, to burn away any impurities that live there, to remove any mistakes of the past made while wearing it. Mrs. Darling is renewed as your wife today. Do you commit, again, to have her be your wife until your last breath on earth?”

MR: I do. (Place ring on finger.)

Master A.:

“Mrs. Darling, bring MR’s band through the fire. Cleanse the metal of the mistakes of his past, and prepare to offer it to him anew. MR is renewed as your husband today. Do you commit, again, to have him be your husband until you take the last breath of your life?”

Mrs. Darling: I do. (Place ring on finger.)

Master A.:

“Ladies and gentlemen, may I introduce to you as Husband and wife continued, MR and Mrs. Darling.

MR, you may kiss your wife.”

3. Ceremony of Roses

Master A. rings the bell to signal beginning of the rose ceremony.

Master A.: “MR, you come here today to not only recommit as Husband and wife, but also to make a public declaration of your life as Master and slave. Please prepare your slave.”

(Dress is removed, Mrs. Darling kneels, collar is removed and handed to R., MR and Mrs. Darling pick up roses)

Master A.:

“The coming together as Husband and wife is an important commitment, certainly, but that is a representation of what you are to each other in relation to the outside world. Husband and wife is what you are. Master and slave is who you are. Today you will bind yourselves as such permanently.

slave, you carry a white rose to your Master as a gift. The white rose is a symbol of your submission to Him. It symbolizes your purity of heart and intention, that your desire to serve Him is selfless. The white rose is not yet in full bloom, and neither are you. The call to submission is ever blooming, constantly growing, and you are to remember this bud as a reminder to always remember that you can open up a little more for your Master.

MR, you carry a red rose in full bloom, showing your maturity of self and your readiness to accept the responsibility of owning your slave. The red symbolizes your passion for her, your desire to posses this woman in this intense way, and your commitment to protect her at all costs, even if it requires you to spill your blood to do so.

May your witnesses bind you in chain.”

(A. picks up the chain, runs it over the fire, and he and B. will together drape it over MR and Mrs. Darling’s shoulders. Master A. continues speaking while happening.)

Master A.: “The links of this chain represents your life together. Each link of the chain holds an event, a memory of your lives thus far and a moment that has yet to come. Passing it through the flames signifies the purification of all of the events, and all of the bad memories will be burned into insignificance and only the good shall remain. This chain holds your bodies, and souls, together as you make this bond.”

“MR, take your red rose, your symbol of ownership, and draw blood from your slave.”

(MR pricks Mrs. Darling’s finger with the red rose)

“slave, mark your blood upon the white rose you carry, showing your commitment to your Master that can never be undone.”

(Mrs. Darling marks the white rose with blood)

Master A.: “MR, take the white rose that symbolizes this slave’s commitment and draw your own blood, and place two drops on the petal: one drop alone, symbolizing your lone walk as the leader of this relationship, and one drop covering her mark, showing your union.”

(MR pricks his finger and marks the white rose with blood)

Master A.: “Bring your fingers together now, combining the very blood that flows through your bodies. Today you are bound together for eternity, as closely as your own family blood-lines. The two of you can never be undone; there is no separation that can be permanent and complete.”

(A. and B. remove the chain and wrap in fabric)

Master A.: “MR, place the roses in a vase and take them with you this evening as you continue on to join your bodies together.  Let these two roses watch over as you consummate this bond further. In the morning, together, the two of you are to pull the petals off, and combine them in a jar that you shall keep forever. The combining of the petals will serve as a visual reminder of the mixing and blending of your two lives. Upon death, a portion of those petals are placed with the body to show your bond will extend beyond the grave. Legends have been told of roses that have sprung up on the graves of couples who have loved so strongly during their physical lifetime that even in death they sent back evidence of their everlasting love in the form of roses that bloom again on the graves. May we all be so lucky to find a love so great.”

The Collaring 

Master A.: “MR, take your slave collar and purify it in the fire, and as you place it upon the neck that has worn it for the past year, knowing that she will wear it for many, many years to come, repeat after me:”

“I offer this testimony in trust and sincerity.

I am a dominant man.

I am just that.

I am not dominant because of any superiority on my part.

Not because I feel more intelligent or wiser.

I am not dominant because of the strength or the mass of my body.

I am not, nor would I want to be dominant with all women.

Yet to you, I am Master.

I am your Master only after earning your trust.

I embrace your submissiveness.

I have looked into your heart and mind,

and clearly see your desires and passions.

You have thrown away your fears and inhibitions.

You tell me of the needs of your heart and body.

You have given me total access to your soul,

and I accept that responsibility and honor.

Your belief in me gives me courage and direction.

Your strength disperses my doubt.

Your needs and desires encourage

and give purpose to my efforts.

We are not equal.

We are halves of a whole.

We complement each other and make each other complete.

I dominate you only because you have allowed me to,

and when I see your body kneel before me

in my mind and heart,

you are raised above all other women

and all the treasures of the earth.

Within the bounds of our relationship

it is my duty to protect you,

and that you will know, that under my care;

no harm will come to you

as a result of actions taken by Me

or you.

This is my responsibility.

Master A.:

“slave, who did you enter into this room as?”

Mrs. Darling: “i came here as (given name).”

Master A.: “slave, who are you now?”

Mrs. Darling: “i am only a slave.”

Master A.:“MR, how will you have your slave be known?”

MR: “Master A., she shall be known only as Mrs. Darling. My darling.”

Master A.: “Everybody, I present to you, MR and His owned slave, Mrs. Darling.”

(MR helps Mrs. Darling stand.)

4. Closing

Master A.: “MR and Mrs. Darling, now you have publically declared your commitment to a lifetime of living as Master and slave. As you both know so well, this is not role play. This is not a game. This is not a phase. This is not play time. This is your real lives.

May you continue living it in the way that makes each of you feel happy, and fulfilled, from this day until your last.

To all those who have enhanced this gathering with your presence, let me take this moment on behalf of MR and Mrs. Darling to sincerely thank you for celebrating this event with them, and invite you to gather after for the celebration to come.”

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I hope that those reading enjoyed this celebration of love and unity as much as we did. Thanks you for sharing in our journey too.

Kind Regards,

Mrs. Darling