So it's easy to understand how filled with joy I am these days.Last weekend, my sweet son Brian married his sweetheart, Naomi Saltzman. In a captivating setting in New York City, these two loving souls exchanged their vows.Naomi's Vows:Brian - my best friend and my beloved:With the deepest respect, I choose you to be my partner in this life.I promise to share myself with you, respect deeply your interests, desires and needs.I promise to delight in the laughter, take seriously the important, imagine the profound.I promise to keep myself open to you - to see myself and our relationship as a work in progress.I promise to face change and overcome obstacles with you.I will live in trust with you, and I will communicate fully and fearlessly.I promise to grow with you, and to always honor our differences.Wanting you to be no other than yourself, loving what I know of you, trusting in what I do not yet know. I love you and I joyously stand before you ready for our journey to continue.Brian's Vows:Naomi: I couldn't be more excited standing here with you today on the threshold of our new life together. We will walk out of this chuppah as husband and wife, committing to each other to build and maintain a loving life and home together.As your husband, I promise to nurture our relationship as it changes through the years; to take deep pride in your successes; share in your passions and joys; support you in your times of need; respect your points of view and work to create an environment that allows us to live life to its full potential, both as individuals and as a couple. I love you and I joyously stand before you ready for our journey to continue.If your eyes are not moist and your heart is not beating with fervor, you must call your spiritual adviser immediately. Your romance level is dangerously low. Your enchantment with love has dried up. Your delight in rapture is seriously depleted.Hopefully, however, Brian and Naomi's love has touched a spark in you. Perhaps you're feeling more passionate toward a special someone in your life. Or feeling warmer toward whatever you love in the universe. Or perhaps their devotion to each other simply diverted, distracted or helped you through a difficult day.Just let in whatever goodness radiates from their love and allow it to embrace you. For to bear witness to another's love is an affirmation of your own loving soul.Copyright 2006Linda Sapadin, Ph.D. is a psychologist in private practice who specializes in helping people build competence, enrich relationships and overcome self-defeating patterns of behavior.You can contact her at DrSapadin@aol.com or visit her website at www.psychwisdom.com
