A LOVE THAT LASTS

[Carol Anne Kincaid~Paradis]

A smile to start your day… A prayer to bless your way… A song to lighten your burden … A message to wish you a good day … Good Morning!

A love that lasts

It was going to be a very busy morning for the surgery where I worked as a nurse and at about 8:00 am a gentleman in his early 80's arrived to have stitches removed from a deep cut on his thumb that one of the doctors had treated the previous week. He said that he was in a hurry, as he had an appointment at 9:00 am.

So, I took his vital signs and had him take a seat, knowing it could be over an hour before someone would be free to see him. I saw him looking anxiously at his watch and decided since I was not busy with any another patients, I would have a look at his wound and the stitches.

On examining his thumb, I saw it was well healed, so I talked to one of the doctors and got then needed supplies to remove his stitches and redress his wound. While taking care of his wound, I asked him why he was in such a hurry. The gentleman told me no, that he needed to go to the nursing home to eat breakfast with his wife.

I inquired as to her health and he told me that she had been there for quite a while because she had advanced Alzheimer's. As we talked, I asked if she would be upset if he was a bit late. He replied that she no longer knew who he was, that she had not recognized him for over five years.

I was surprised and asked him, ' so you still go every morning, even though she doesn't know who you are?'

He smiled as he patted my hand and said, 'She doesn't know me but I still know who she is.'
I had to hold back tears as he left. I had goose bumps on my arm and thought, 'That is the kind of love I want in my life.’

True love is neither physical nor romantic. True love is an acceptance of all that is, has been, will be and will not be.

Remember that the small deeds that we do in life really matter.

Author Unknown