Marriage Vows

I take you to be my spouse. I promise to be faithful to you in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, to love you and to honor you all the days of my life.

They raised six children, losing one at the age of two. They had never been rich in worldly goods, but the children never lacked for anything. They were lucky – or maybe they had just figured out how to do it right – but their children got along as adults and family gatherings were always filled with teasing and laughter and support.

There were rough times, of course there were. Even in a bed of roses, winter comes. But spring is never far behind and those roses bloom again, especially if the roots are well tended.

When Alzheimer’s began to eat away at his mind, she cared for him at home as long as she could. It got harder, though, as he couldn’t always remember the life they had built so beautifully together. His care was physically demanding, too. Finally, after the urging of her children grew more insistent, he was moved to a care facility. Just in time, too, for he suddenly had the strength to move refrigerators. They assumed he would die first and she would be sad, devastated, but he would no longer be locked in a mind of unknowing.

Unexpectedly, she went into the hospital and she wouldn’t make it home again. Somehow, she had died first. They weren’t sure if, when they told their father about her passing, he would understand. But they did tell him and quietly, twelve hours later, he died as well. It was a joint funeral and they were buried together on a frigid January day. Even in the midst of heart-rending grief it was obvious to all: They had loved and honored each other all the days of their lives.