There is an art to writing wedding or marriage vows.
I was reminded of that when I saw a remarkable video of Jake Shimabukuro playing his ukulele on TED.
That performance of Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody was enough to make one weep.
When I went to YouTube and to check out other videos I found many.
They show his mighty and amazing versatility on the lowly and often laughed at ukulele.
That man can do things with four strings and a little piece of woodno one ever dreamed could come out of it.
It is not your traditional hulu ukulele playing.
And you, too,can do things with your marriage vows that no one ever expected you could.
Your vows can be the single most important inspirational tool in your marriage and relationship toolbox.
Your vows are the promises of what you are going to do to keep the dream alive and thriving.
You are going to keep playing those vows over and over again until you become relationship virtuosos, like Jake Shimabukuro is a Ukulele master.
This guy makes love to his ukulele.
Sometimes he cradles it in his lap and strokes it sensually.
Sometimes he jumps around tickling it to laughter.
Sometimes he heats it up with his strumming until it's almost on fire! He calls a ukulele an instrument of peace.
I'm not sure why but when you listen to him you can't turn your ear away.
You become mesmerized.
You fall in love.
Your wedding or relationship vows can become just that, an instrument of peace and passion.
That's what I want you to do with your wedding or marriage vows.
I want you infuse them with the passion it takes to make them come alive.
But like Jake's ukulele, your vows are just an instrument waiting to be played and seduced into magic by attention and repetition.
Jake plays his music with his whole body mind and spirit and if you and your partner wrote your vows like that, and then continued to read them with interest and expectation, reactivating the passion and power you put into every word with your dream, it will stand up and dance on it's own some day without even trying.
Write your vows as though they were an instrument to be mastered.
You do that by: - Writing only one set of vows, not two.
- Knowing what you want, what your dreams are:For yourself, your partner, your relationship and your marriage.
Talk it out.
Talk about dreams and goals, sex, money, family, houses, philanthropy.
That's the foundation you will build your vows on Continue to read those vows over and over again.
Jake learned how to play his ukulele by playing it over and over and over again until he knew what it could do so well that he no longer had to think about it.
The more you read your vows after the wedding ceremony, the more they become part of you.
The more you read them the more you create the path to sustained happiness and passion.
The more you read them the more you play your relationship without thinking.
Jake's ukulele does not play itself.
He still has to pick up his instrument.
It's his hands on the strings and wood that brings the transcendence.
Likewise, your vows will not play themselves.
You have to keep them alive by reading them.
You transcend them by knowing them so well that together you become living, breathing vows.
Love You, Rev.
Linda, The Wedding Vow Coach