A Vow That Worked

A vow is defined as  a solemn, earnest promise, pledge, or personal commitment. It is further described as carrying a higher degree of gravity, seriousness, and formality than an everyday promise.  Life vows are often shared as a part of a marriage ceremony.  For the last couple of months, I have been cancelling every engagement on my calendar and declining all new invitations due to my wife’s heart issues.  The installation of a Pacemaker, was followed by an accidental fall, causing multiple fractures in her wrist, requiring surgery followed by physical therapy.  For a number of months, she was unable to drive her car or lift weight heavier than a carton of milk. I became her 24/7 caregiver and chauffeur.  A friend asked me why I cancelled my commitments, adding that family or friends could be assisting her so I could continue my obligations. My explanation was brief and simple.  On August 8, 1964, in the Trinity Baptist Church of San Antonio, Texas before God, family and friends, I vowed, among other things, to care for my wife in “sickness and in health.”   I was simply fulfilling my marriage vow. I don’t think my answer satisfied my friend, but it was the best answer I had to offer. Had my friend been a religious man, I would have quoted  1 Corinthians 13:7 to him and reminded him that genuine love, “bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”  Simple answer, you say?  Perhaps, but it is a vow that has worked well for us — for sixty-two years.