‘Til death do us part
When you have this promise in your mind before you are married, you
think that death will be very distant. Naturally, we will grow old and gray
together, and the years between that will be the expected form of ups and downs
that everyone always talks about. What tends to sink in a few months after
being married is the inescapable knowledge that you can’t imagine your life
without them. Not in that “I won’t be able to go on” should something terrible
happen to them (or to you, Jennifer, you klutzy kid). It is that type of
imagining of “Could there really be a version of my life in the future where
this person won’t be there, where this promise would no longer be pending, but
fulfilled?”
This vow sinks in when you realize that you are not only in it for the
rest of your life, but with your whole life. You are all-in. You are more than
dedicated, but devoted. “’Til death do us part” is not just about enjoying our
life together until the inevitable happens. It is about giving our life for the
other. Plain and simple, that is love. That means this vow, then, is not just a
closing date of a contract. It is the finish line that can only be successfully
reached when you give everything in the journey of getting there.
…
Are the previous posts and above the only meanings of these vows? Absolutely not. I am
sure in a few years, I will become aware of several new meanings behind these
ancient promises. But, for now, I know if I keep my mind on the above explanation
of what these vows truly mean, then I will have much more to celebrate with
each wedding we attend.
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