Aged Love
One of the saints of our church is dying.
He has pancreatic cancer and over the past few weeks has deteriorated to the point where he can’t do anything for himself. He needs someone to help him out of bed, to feed him, to shave his face, even help him go to the bathroom. His wife is not strong enough to help him, so people in our church have been taking turns sitting with him.
On Monday, I spent the morning there doing anything that needed to be done. When I arrived, both he and his wife were still in bed and they invited me to sit in their bedroom as they took their time waking up. Eventually, she left the room to get herself ready for the day.
So there I sat, watching as he came in and out of sleep…breathing gently. The room was peaceful and as I watch him, I thought about all he has done in his life and the legacy that he soon would be leaving behind. I have known this man for almost 6 years and even in that short amount of time he has left a lasting impression on me.
After a little while, she came back in the room. And almost as if I wasn’t even there, she walked over to her husband, leaned down to his face, and very softly, kissed him on the lips.
The moment was surreal for me.
One kiss and through it I saw the embodiment of love. She didn’t kiss him to be kissed back. She kissed him because she wanted him to know that she loves him.
Will my love for my wife look like that 50 years from now?! I want it to. I want to have such a pure love for my wife that even if she is not able to give anything back, I will still love her and show it to her.
Me too, babe.