In Sickness and In Health

He had her head on his shoulder, his hand gently caressing her arm as he spoke softly to her.

She’s had a stroke and is now in a wheel chair. She has a limited ability to talk and struggles to sit up straight in the chair.

He comes every day to sit with her. He tells her stories, describes her surroundings and reminisces about their years together.

I watched as he gently ran his fingers along her forearm, encouraging her to rest her head on his shoulder. “You know I’ve always loved when you lean on me,” he whispered. She was struggling to respond, but managed to mumble an apology.

His eyes filled with tears as he held her. He told her not to be sorry. “You’re my love,” he said. “There’s nowhere else I’d rather be than by your side.”

I couldn’t stop the tears from rolling down my face as he began quoting their marriage vows. “For richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, in good times and in bad times…”

There’s nothing so beautiful to me as a love like this between a man and a woman. There’s nothing so profound as seeing that covenant in action, that commitment honored, that love embraced.

What comfort must it be to know you’re not alone facing the horror and pain as your body betrays you. How precious a gift to know you can walk the unknown path holding the hand of your love, to face the darkness with your life-long partner.

When facing the realities of life and aging, it’s impossible to pretend that love doesn’t matter.