"for better or for worse,...in sickness and in health"

I woke up at 5am to check my phone for the time and I saw a text from one of my very best friends, Rachel, that said she was engaged! To say that I was excited would be the understatement of the century! For those of you who know me well, you know how EXCITED I get about engagements. I'm the borderline creepy friend who tends to be more excited than I should be- I'll cry when I hear about the engagement, I'll think constantly about how to celebrate it in the biggest and best way possible, and throughout the whole engagement/wedding process I'm usually overinvested as I try to help out with everything but at the same time not be overbearing.
I'm just so happy for Rachel and it's so beautiful to see how God has brought Chris into her life. It's been so encouraging for me to see how they have grown together and I'm so excited for their journey ahead. I could seriously go on and on about how thankful I am for their relationship and how happy I am for them but right now I'm going to branch off a little...I'm thankful for their engagement because I've been wanting to write a blog on marriage for a while but I haven't gotten up the courage to do it until now. I don't want to write on this topic and have everyone think that I'm sitting here feeling sorry for myself in North Carolina since I'm single, because the thing is that I'm actually really happy and I feel so blessed for where I am at in my life right now. I am so ecstatic for my bestie Rachel, and my bro and sister-in-law in their recent marriage, and for my other good friends that have recently been engaged or married. I feel very strongly that commiting to spend your life with someone for the rest of your life is the most beautiful thing.
I have gotten a completely new view on the commitment of marriage in the last two months. When you work on a rehab floor you're doing an average of 2 hours of physical therapy with each of your patients everyday. Since you spend so much time with them you get to know them and their spouses so well. The best part of my job is this relationship building aspect. There are over 30 couples that I've seen on the rehab floor that have inspired me but I'm going to just list a couple here...
A young adult patient had a brain tumor removed 3 years ago with only a couple year prognosis and he has had multiple brain surgeries since then. Every time he undergoes another brain surgery he loses the majority of function in half his body so he has to come back to rehab for therapy for several weeks to months. Also, he has had a significant amount of brain damage which has impacted his short term memory and he frequenly makes up details and facts which makes interacting with him difficult at times. It has been the most inspiring thing to see his wife sit by his side and be his biggest cheerleader, his biggest advocate in the hospital, and his support system on both good and bad days. She knows every detail of his medical history and she loves him even though part of his skull is missing, he has sutures covering his whole head and he doesn't remember details about her or their kids somedays. This situation makes me think of the traditional wedding vows of "I, ....take you...to be my (wife/husband), to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from this day forward until death do us part." Of course when this couple got married they had no idea that years of being in the hospital would be in store for them. This couple had no idea that they would have to leave their two elementary age kids back home several states away in order that he could go through multiple brain surgeries. They never knew that he would be wheelchair bound from his 30's on. They never knew that at the same time the kids would be working on their homework that dad would be doing his "homework" of trying to remember what activities he had done throughout the day with therapy. Despite the difficulty of this situation this couple is committed. They made those vows and I know it's not easy for them but they're sticking to them. I can't imagine being the person on either side of the relationship. Being the sick or injured person in rehab would be so hard because I've seen upclose how difficult it is to go through a brain tumor, a stroke, a traumatic brain injury, etc. But I also can't imagine being the spouse of the patient. The patience that has to exist, the sacrificial service that is exhibited, and the love that is demonstrated as that individual is literally dependent on you, not just physically but also emotionally and spiritually, is incredible.
Another example is a middle aged male who had a stroke after having a brain tumor removed and he lost all his speech but he has an incredible wife who literally can read his mind. I can't imagine ever being that close to someone that you can look at them and know exactly what they want and what they're thinking but when you see that kind of bond it's beautiful. This couple didn't know when they committed their lives together that he would lose all his speaking capabilities and lose all his strength on half his body and that he would be given a year prognosis with two little girls at home to raise. They didn't know when they got married in their young 20's what would lay ahead but they have stepped up to the challenges and they have stayed committed to eachother in love.
Seeing all these marriages upclose in the hospital sends so many thoughts rolling through my mind: First of all, the commitment of marriage is not something that should be taken lightly. When you say those vows "in sickness and in health..." the sickness part could actually happen. I know I'm just focusing on one type of tragedy that can happen in marriage but there are so many other tragedies that can happen in life as well. Of course when people are getting married no one expects these things to happen but when you look that person in the eyes and say those words you have to realize they can happen and you have to be willing to stay committed through it all.  Secondly, marriage is beautiful. I truly think that marriage is one of the greatest gifts from God. I know I'm not married and I might never be but I hope and pray that the people in my life that desire this can experience it. I also hope and pray that I can experience marriage someday if it's God's plan for me because if anything like the above situations ever happen to me I can't imagine going through it alone.
Today I'm celebrating with my bestie, Rachel, from hundreds of miles away because I know their relationship is founded on true commitment and love from God! and I'm also celebrating with everyone else that I know and love that are in those beautiful committed relationships!

Mark 10:6-9 "But at the beginning of creation God 'made them male and female.' 'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.' So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate."