The Vow

I watched The Vow when it came out in 2012, and have finally gotten my hands on a copy of the book recently. As usually happens, the movie told things very differently from what actually happened, but (part of) the essence of Kim and Krickett Carpenter's story was still there. It was a wonderful book about faith and marriage and family that I highly recommend to anyone. A few things from the book I wanted to share on here.

From James Dobson's "Family News" newsletter in June of 1997, as quoted in the book:

"In this day when the culture teaches us to bail at the first sign of frustration or pain, it is uplifting to see this young couple work to recapture what they had lost and to remain committed to each other even in the face of tragedy. Their example will, I hope, be relevant to many of my readers who have lost the passion in their marriages - not as a result of brain injury, but from whatever has driven them apart. Perhaps Kim's decision to win Krickitt's affection anew will be especially helpful to those who have misplaced the 'memory' of love.

If you have been considering a divorce, wouldn't it be better to begin courting your spouse again and seeking to rebuild the marriage from the ground up? That is never easy and I'm sure Kim and Krickitt have not yet faced their final challenges. But it is the right thing to do, and ultimately, the most rewarding response for disengaging husbands and wives. And it is definitely in the best interest of the children.

Let me conclude by offering a word of advice to young men and women who will be joining hands in holy matrimony during this summer.... I urge each of you to enter into marriage with an unshakable commitment to make it last a lifetime. Let nothing short of death separate what is about to be consummated. When the hard times come (and they WILL come), I hope you will remember the story of Kim and Krickitt who are weathering the storm together - hand in hand and soul to soul. That is God's plan for the family - and for your family." -James Dobson, June Newsletter 1994

And another quote from the book:

"Our family lives by three sayings. The first is that we "do the right thing." If you were to walk up to one of my kids on the street and say, "Remember..." they will respond with, "do the right thing." Our second saying is, "It's important to give it all you got." We have learned that life is precious, so while we're here we need to give all we have. And our third saying is, "I got gaps, and together we fill them." Think about that for a moment. We all have things that we're good at and not-so-good at, but together we fill each other's gaps. When we work together and complement each other by filling in the gaps, we can achieve our dreams hand in hand. I believe that as our family lives out those three things, we can give to others what has been given to us.

Jesus said, "It is more blessed to give than to receive" (Acts 30:35). I believe that wholeheartedly. But I also believe that in order to truly give, you must know what it is to truly receive. When tragedy strikes you, as it did to us, don't cut yourself off from the world. Instead, reach out to your friends and family, and to God. Then you will know what it is like to receive, and as a result you will know how to give to others."

-Kim Kittrick