I just had the most remarkable conversation with a woman over the phone. I don’t usually talk about my day job but I had to share this story. I work as a receptionist at a nursing home. And, a lady from the facility next door called asking me to relay a message to her husband currently in Hospice care. It was a 10 minute conversation but it made me so emotional I almost started crying.
She didn’t say how long she was married but she talked about how they were so intertwined from day 1 and that bond has only grown stronger over the years. Even though both of them are in nursing homes and he is very ill, she wanted to make sure he didn’t get down and he knew how much she loved him. “We’ve been through a lot and we will continue until the Lord calls us home.”
“Isn’t that what marriage is?” I said, remembering my own vows taken just over a year ago.
“Yes, but many young people don’t realize that,” she said. “Things get a little challenging and they give up. But, you can’t do that. You have to keep going because that’s what you’ve sworn to do.”
I know this past year hasn’t been sunshine and rainbows. Joe and I hit our share of rough patches. We worry about our health issues and bills. Our cleanliness (or lack of) has led to the occasional head knocking. But, we promised for better or worse. And, certainly, if this couple can still love each other through severe illness, I can be a little more forgiving when Joe rolls his eyes about how long it takes me to do laundry.
It’s amazing to see the power of true, lasting love. I can recall all the stories in my own family. Those who waited for wars to end so they could be together. Those who grieved together over the loss of children. And seeing it at my workplace. A man comes to feed his wife breakfast every morning. He has to be wheeled in a chair and can barely speak above a whisper. But, every day he comes through the doors with his aid, gives me a wave and a murmured hello, and goes to see his sweetheart. One lady, visiting her husband, told me they still act like lovesick teenagers. She looks at him and can still see the charming boy she fell in love with over 60 years ago!
And, what do younger generations do? Ever watch the divorce court shows on TV? People separate over the most minor things! Or, they have these expectations that their partner will change and fit into this mold they have prepared in their minds and wonder why it doesn’t work.
Sure, you will become a different person as the years go by. It’s called growing up. Habits and tendencies may rub off. My husband waves at cars that zip past him on the highway. He caught me doing it one time and laughed his head off! He’s helping me be a little more organized by teaching me some of his habits and methods and I keep what works or tweak things to fit. what works. But, I’m not going to force him to like Chinese takeout. He’s not going to try and convert me into a Steelers fan.
Anyway, I have a little more work to do before the end of my shift. I wanted to hop on and talk about this a bit because it really touched my heart. Next time you get annoyed with your significant other, consider your priorities. Remember your promise to each other.
“Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, [love] is not pompous, it is not inflated, it is not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury, it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Love never fails.” 1 Cornithians 13:4-8