Until We Are Parted

February 23, 2022

Today my wife turned another year older…for what it’s worth. She looks no different than yesterday; her smile still warms my heart, while her feet…well, that’s another story! The lines in her face were put there by the laughter in her soul, while any grey in her hair was probably put there by me. We’re both at that place in life where our needs are few and our wants even fewer. Birthday shopping can be a challenge; we visited a favorite store of hers only to come out with a few items for kids and grandkids, and a Charleston Chew for her. 

These days our years aren’t measured by days and weeks and months, but by breakfasts in bed (her favorite) and coffee together in the afternoon. We talk and pray, and sometimes sit silently, all the while bathed in a love that has spanned more than two-thirds of our lives, yet just keeps growing. We’ve weathered the storms of youthful passions and midlife missteps, always mindful of how our choices and decisions would affect each other and those we love most. Like everyone else, there were times either one of us could have decided it was too hard, and walked away. Unlike so many, we chose to work it out.

The hidden blessing in staying together is the opportunity to go deeper into love than is possible for those who at some point decide, “This is far enough.” So often, the real gold is but a spadeful away from where they stopped mining. We hit the mother lode years ago, and it keeps on yielding its treasure. 

Linda has been getting texts all day from people whose lives she has touched. Friends near and far, children, grandchildren, even boyfriends of grandchildren have written, telling of her influence in their lives. The grandkids still at home stopped over, blessing her with their laughter even as they cleaned out her candy and my pretzels. The gold glows with the lustre of their presence.

Proverbs 5:18-19 enjoins a man to “Let your fountain be blessed, and rejoice with the wife of your youth…always be enraptured with her love.” Like the evening fire in our stove, the flames don’t burn as hot as they did in the morning, but it has warmed us all day and will continue to do so through the night to come. 

Linda, at the beginning of our life together, we said to each other, “Till death us do part,” and until that day comes, I will continue to love you and to thank you for warming me all these years with your love.