Radvent day 22: promises

I don't think I'm alone when I say that I always strive to keep the promises I make, but that often it is easier said than done--right? I can't be the only one. Human interaction & emotion & life is complicated. Things happen. Lots of conflicting desires & obligations come up. I mean, I know I'm not just making excuses for myself, right? Bueller? Bueller?

I truly try in my everyday life to fulfill the promises and vows I've made to those I love.  I haven't always been good at letting people know how I feel about them, but after my dad died in 2003, that all changed. I now know that there really is no guarantee that you'll ever get to express how you feel, if you don't take the chance and do it now. And since I know that I am a person who doesn't seem emotional in everyday conversation, I decided that I need to say everything twice as much, so that everyone understands just how much I mean it, even if I seem lacking on the surface.

The most important vow I've ever made is my marriage vow, and I intend to keep that for the rest of my life (and beyond, if we're lucky enough to have an afterlife or great beyond). Marriage has been the most difficult and the most rewarding promise of my life, and I wouldn't trade it for anything. I think that the majority of people who get married are incredibly unprepared for the amount of hard work involved in a marriage, and when the inevitable troubles come (and they will!), they don't know how to communicate with each other or handle the situation well. If I hadn't married such an amazing guy with a great head on his shoulders, I'm sure I would have been just as clueless. Thank goodness I'm not. I am really grateful to have a true partner in keeping this most important of promises.

Also, this: