Five little words-&quot;I promise, cross my heart&quot; and/or a hand gesture (of crossing one's heart) can have such a powerful meaning of trust. The 'back in the day' version of this was &quot;cross my heart, hope to die.&quot; But I refuse to say the latter part anymore because I value life too much. Life is too precious to me to even repeat these words. Plus as one of my really good friend's always says &quot;be careful what you put out there in the universe.&quot;<br /> <br /> I believe that when I say these words to a friend (I'm crossing my heart at the same time as they go hand in hand for me), that they know me well enough to keep their secret. It is human nature to want to share a secret with another but as we grow older and wiser, we realize the importance of keeping a secret and the impact or repercussions it could have if not kept.<br /> <br /> To me keeping a secret for someone as a 'problem shared is a problem halved', is a bond between two people or friends. You're giving your word and trust to another to lighten the burden or load of something that may be troubling them. The last thing that should be on that person's mind is a worry that one will not keep their secret. It would be disloyal, hurtful and just mean to break the person's trust.<br /> <br /> Everyone gossips a little, but when it's mean gossip or possibly untrue, it should not be shared and stopped right then and there. Too many people are hurt by untrue words; usually 'where there's smoke there's fire', but that's not always the case. When you're told a secret that was shared and not directly by the source, it's better for all not to repeat it. That's my view on the subject anyway.<br /> <br /> As I quoted in my poem on this same subject, So don't be upset with me if you find I'm in the know. As my good friend once said &quot;it's not my story to tell&quot;, years ago. Sometimes it is easy to get upset when someone you love doesn't share a secret with you; that you find out later about. But I think it's better to know that you can trust that person for not telling or sharing a secret you may share with them in the future.<br /> <br /> Another symbol of trust between friends, especially between girls or women, is the pinky swear. I have one girlfriend who always does the pinky swear before she tells me anything-it's the cutest thing. But for really big secrets I always cross my heart and they know I mean business. When someone tells me a secret, I hold it well. If I cross my heart, I promise I will never tell~<br /> <br /> Take care (&amp; promise to keep a secret) and all the best~Celeste   Submitted By: Alicia "Celeste" Loughrey