Love.

Many of my friends are getting engaged or married... Or are in  very serious relationships... And it seems to be a topic that is tossed around a lot.

Today was my first day back to work since Thanksgiving break. It wasn't easy getting up at 5:00 in the morning and love was certainly not the emotion I felt toward my job.

However, I observed a patient and her husband and I have learned a lot from my elders... It is interesting, I find myself amazed at how society has shown me increasing divorce rates, lack of desire to care for the older generations, and everything is about time, and convenience.

As I listened to the woman's doctor talk to her husband she explained the skin breakdown issues, and how she felt maybe it would be best for his wife to go to the nursing home... He had been taking care of his wife and she had dementia quite bad. I thought about the things we had discussed in the classroom at college in my Human Behavior Class back at school...  I pondered the case not realizing the woman was talking about my patient at first.

Then, later on, I went to the room and the husband was content at the bedside, spoon feeding her a strawberry milkshake. Wiping her mouth, caring, providing for her.  When I entered the  room: he stood and made his way over to me at a brisk pace with a concerned look on his face. He told me that her roommate had said that his wife had been crying and he wondered if that was true. I hadn't heard anything about it so I said no...  However, the nurse quickly corrected me, saying in fact, she had been crying. Her roommate had been talking with her about her husband and she had began to cry because she missed him.

His eyes filled with tears, and he smiled a little, we all knew that he had missed her too. He brushed her hair back tenderly and said how he had missed her too. He promised her that he would get the nursing care they needed and he would bring her home. He was attentive, and in love. He told me how his bride had only grown more beautiful as the years had passed. The laughter lines soon never faded and how no matter how bad things have gotten, he has found himself more in love today than he was the day they were married...

I was astonished... I found myself realizing, that no matter what society shows us, we are able to come in contact with others who have proven them wrong. I hope some day all of my friends who are married today, will someday be able to say their love has only deepened and become more true... Something better than they had ever imagined. The visible truth of how things were originally intended, the blessing of the marriage.It was most certainly a blessing today, being able to see them in love.