My Vow

Someone once said, ~I choose you. To be no other than yourself. Loving what I know of you. And trusting who you will become. I will respect and honor you always and in all ways. With you I pledge to repair one small piece of the world. I take you to be my spouse, to have and to hold, in tears and in laughter, in sickness and in health, to love and to church. From this day forward in this world and the next.~ Without a doubt, marriage vows are most definitely considered to be sacred between two people, whereby establishing unwavering commitment to each other. Yet, what tends to get mostly overlooked is something one doesn't want to focus on because of how it deals with the possibility of loss, which are the following words: in sickness and in health.

If you think about it, you certainly have a smile on your face for those couples who know the real meaning regarding the vow in sickness and in health. For its a couple who have endured and suffered or in fact are enduring/suffering together in every sense of the word. When I say endured or suffered together it doesn't mean exchanged heated arguments or experiencing one another's constant company so much so you're absolutely annoyed by their mere presence. You see, what I'm referring to is asking yourself whether the guy/girl you want to spend the rest of your life with is the same person you'll suffer alongside during the most challenging days of his/her life health wise. In other words, will you vow to never leave his/her side when he/she needs you the most?

As I previously asked, if you are true to your vow would you with 100% surety never leave your bf's/husband's/gf's/wife's side when he/she needs you the most, especially if it involves something truly scary like cancer? Of course, nobody ever really wants to think about, ask or have that scenario ever happen but at the same time you have to answer a myriad of questions pertaining to how much you love him/her. Will I be able to stick by his/her side holding their hand every step of the way or turn your back running away because you simply can't handle watching the hellish ordeal they're going through? Am I the type of person who will always be able to exude a strong outer façade as I look into his/her eyes and smile knowing full well I just want to break down crying?

Let me ask this question to those who are in a significant relationship and are facing or have faced a health scare to the point where your partner has shown you how much he/she has been a supportive solid rock by your side? I think it's safe to say having someone who believes you'll conquer cancer and encourages you to not give up in an absolutely positive way means so much. What it primarily comes down to is having a guy/girl who'll stick with you faithfully praying for you instead of cursing God for what He's letting him/her go through shows you no matter what one does/says to make you leave. The in it for the long haul mentality. True, we all want to witness the hope in our partner's eyes to never die out and whatever the circumstances lie ahead, bad or good, he'll/she'll promise to be with you always.

In retrospect, it's a sad state of affairs and not to mention a rarity these days to encounter solid relationships that have continued to keep a strong unbreakable bond pertaining to their vows. One of the best examples I can think of is former American Idol contestant Chris Medina who continues to be by his fiancé's side after suffering traumatic brain injury. She was able to pull through but wasn't the same ever again. However, that doesn't stop him from keeping his vow knowing it doesn't change how he continues to feel for her. Personally speaking, he is the best example of the type of guy I want to become, making the promise to the woman I will eventually fall in love someday with to not ever walk out when she needed me the most. In the end, that is my vow to her, whoever she may be, for richer or poorer, for better or worse, and in sickness and in health.