In sickness and in health…

I don’t know about you, but we went with the traditional vows during our wedding ceremony (ha—I accidentally typed “weeding” ceremony…twice….what’s the significance there?). Anyway, I’m not sure why we did that. Maybe because we’re fairly traditional people, maybe because we’re lazy. Either way, that’s what we did. And, though we didn’t write them ourselves, we were very deliberate and committed when we said them. I’m not saying we completely understood them, but as best as we could at that young age, we were committed to fulfilling those vows.

One of the areas we were fairly familiar with, though, was the section about “in sickness and in health”. Bald Man’s already mentioned a bit about my dad, and his parents haven’t escaped this one, either. We’ve both been a witness to this vow being lived out in our parents, and it’s amazing to be witnesses to the love and sacrifices that have been made.

I was being a bit silly yesterday with the reasons to get and stay married, but one of the true reasons is really to not have to suffer alone. I know for a fact that, were it not for my mom, my dad’s life would have been shortened by years. I know that. She was not just there to endure with him, though she did that, too, she was also his greatest advocate, and her actions gave him longer life and the opportunity to meet grandkids and to have experiences that would not have been possible without her. I hope, when faced with trials in our own marriage, I can stand as strongly and as faithfully as she did. I’m not saying she was perfect, and I know it was hard, but I only hope to be as dedicated and unrelenting in the protection and love to my spouse as she.

What, you ask, got me off on this tangent? One of our own b5ers, Dale, is fighting his own battle right now, and his wife and family are at his side. And I’m thankful that he’s not fighting alone.

photo credit: macoggins