After taking a little break from writing, there is nothing that could stop the knee jerk reaction that this picture caused in my soul….
From any angle this is an adorable picture. But through the scope of their reality, it’s nothing short of beautiful.
These are my mom-and-dad-in-law.
And this picture is in absolute contrast to their daily lives.
My mother-in-law, this precious woman, my “mama J”, has Alzheimer’s.
She no longer knows his name.
She doesn’t remember how to get dressed or order from a menu.
She doesn’t realize that he spends every day from morning to night taking care of her every need.
She can’t find the words or the memories to carry on a conversation with this man who has given her his very life.
How could she possibly understand that without his care, his protection and his unwavering dedication, she could not enjoy the beautiful life that she still wakes up to every morning?
But she knows love…
She knows that his eyes meet hers and see straight to her soul, with no need for explanation that she can’t give.
She knows love….
She knows that every time he reaches for her hand she is still a young bride, giggling over his flirty comments.
She knows love….
She knows that with every prayer said before every meal, he will kiss her lips with as much devotion as the day they said, “I do”.
She knows love….
She knows that every time he puts on her seatbelt, that she is safe in his keeping, the apple of his eye to be protected at all cost.
She knows love….
When he laughs with her and joins in with her strange new language with its misshapen, nonsensical sentences, she understands that he still enjoys her company more than any other.
She knows love….
When he cooks her meals and cuts each piece of meat for her, she knows that she will never go hungry on his watch.
She knows love….
And in this beautiful picture (taken by my sister-in-law at her house) I am taken aback by his vulnerability under that blanket, understandably tired from his 24/7 loving sacrifice. I am moved by her return of love to him, this man she no longer really knows.
He is her safe place in a world that must feel so frightening and out of control. Her rock. The representation of everything she ever knew and lived for.
As time moves forward, she knows less and less. But she is more than okay.
Because she knows love….
1 Corinthians 13:8 – Love never fails….
John 15:13 – Greater love has no one that this; that one lay down one’s life for his friends….
