Beyond the vows

(Image by Fort Mill Photography)

We've only been married for five months and already we're living up to several of the commitments in our vows. One of the most important being "for richer, for poorer." Robert has been working seasonal jobs when given the opportunity and I've been trying to do what I can to build a post-college career. Yet on top of our financial concerns, these last two weeks have tested us on another important part of our vows- "in sickness and in health."

I have a chest/throat infection because of my severe allergies (or at least, that's the latest theory). I've been in and out of the doctor's for the entire two weeks, but when I finally received antibiotics and steroids, my symptoms just got worse. My throat felt more swollen and sore than before and I could barely swallow soup. The fact that my chest was tight and I couldn't breathe well resulted in a few emergency calls to the doctor, and a trip to several pharmacies to get allergy medicine- just in case I was having an allergic reaction to the pills. While I'm still feeling low today, stopping the medications has helped, and I feel like I can breathe a little easier.

Throughout the night Robert was by my side. I usually fall asleep on the couch while he plays video games, but if he wakes me up to go to bed, I get chills and feel faint. So he offered to sleep in the living room with me. When I fell asleep on the small, uncomfortable couch cushions, he fetched my pillows and made sure I slept comfortably. Better yet, he stayed up the entire night to keep watch over my symptoms. I learned this morning he was awake until 7am making sure I wasn't have an allergic reaction.

While our first year has started out rough, we've worked through our trails and become stronger for it. When I've been at my worst, Robert has shown me that he's there to love and support me like any good husband would. Maybe our situation has been rough, but at least I have a husband I can rely on. Someone who takes the words in our vows and lives by them in our marriage. We'll probably experience many other trails and tribulations during our first year, but we have each other, and for that I know we'll be okay.