Reader’s Reflections: I can honestly say that I have no recollection of saying my marriage vows for the first time. I know I said them, and I know I’d thought a lot about them beforehand and I truly meant everything in them; but the wedding day was so full of excitement and nervousness and busy-ness that my head was in 1,000 places at once as I stood on the altar. The second time I said them, it was a totally different experience. I felt the words in my soul, I professed them with a presence of mind and of heart that sealed the experience within me. I also had a lot more of an idea of what I was promising when I was 37 than I’d had when I was 24. When you’re 24 and you say, “in sickness and in health,” for the most part all you know of sickness is a cold or the flu. When you’re 37, you and the man you love have seen each other lying in hospital beds, held each other’s hands as you’ve waited for test results, and sat restlessly by watching the other moan in pain that won’t let go. When you’re 24 and you say, “for better of for worse,” you don’t have a very good idea of what worse might actually look like. When you’re 37, you and the man you love have helped each other through the loss of loved ones, unemployment, and major life struggles and tragedies. Elizabeth is so surprised that Darcy not only doesn’t want to run from her, but wants to do everything possible to be pleasing to her and her family, and to have his sister be pleased with her. I guess that’s real, mature love for you – it’s not fragile, it doesn’t break against anger or harsh words, no matter how undeserved. When you truly love someone, you give. You strive for their happiness. Period. It’s no wonder Elizabeth’s feeling a bit swayed. Wouldn’t you?