““a different order of commitment. We don’t state priorities when we marry, enter a religious order, or commit our lives to something for the long haul. We take vows. They are of a greater magnitude. We take them in front of others to be witnessed by them and to have their support. We know a vow needs to be made with our whole being, for once decided upon and witnessed, our lives will be profoundly changed. It is a promise given to our selves and to Spirit. A vow can be thought of as a spine. It holds us up. It holds us together. To break it is to break apart. To make a vow is to name the commitment to something or to someone and to the loneliness such a commitment entails. Vows are up to us to keep. No one can live them for us.””
