In real life, most people don't meet the love of their life while posing as a high school student... and realistically, how many parents secretly hire someone to date their son? Not a chance I'm ever bumping into that cute guy I saw running at the beach later at the coffee shop and do I really expect the guy I've paid to attend a wedding with me to actually fall in love? Of course not!
Now, while I know not to expect Hollywood romances in this everyday world, it doesn't keep me from thoroughly enjoying just about every love story and romantic comedy that hits the big screen. The list of movies I own or would call my favorites feature the exact same story, being called by a different name. Boy meets girl, some sort of drama or misunderstandings ensue, they work it out, fall in love, the end. The more predictable, the better I think the movie is! In fact, I whole-heartedly expect that things will go exactly as all happy endings should, and if the conclusion offers me anything short of the guaranteed "forever" kind of love, I pretty much consider the whole movie a waste!
I've always been a sucker for love stories, probably always will be. Most likely the reason why I love Valentine's day so much! The cute scenarios and mishaps that eventually lead the couple to the fairy-tale ending are fantastic to watch, but the ending and knowing that the highlighted couple is going to be together forever is what makes it all worth it for me.
I didn't know my great-grandparents very well -I was really young when they died. But, one story I've been told and one thing about them I'll never forget, is the love that they shared for one another. My great grandma prayed that she would live to see her 70th wedding anniversary, and she died either around or right on her 70th wedding anniversary. Now yes, I'll admit, at first that sounds a little morbid, BUT when you really think about it, how cool is that?! When she said "I do" she meant forever, and I can only imagine that because I know she and my great-grandpa loved the Lord, that God totally honored her request. She literally spent an entire lifetime with the one she loved.
My grandma is two years older than my Papap and from what I've heard, she wasn't interested in giving him the time of day when they first met. He must have been one handsome and charming 20-something because somehow he managed to break down all her initial opinions of him and score himself an older woman! :P And, after 58 years of marriage, much like my great-grandparents, they are well on their way to having spent their lives with their one true love.
My grandma is a lover of word search puzzles, an amazing gardener and when she cooked, made some of the best fried chicken and sticky white rice that I think I've ever eaten. By 7am on summer mornings, when we were little, she would be tickling our feet and telling us we were wasting the day away! Everyday, we ate lunch on tv trays in the living room, while watching an episode of Perry Mason, followed by CHiPs. At night, she would read Bible stories to us before bed, and though she might have inwardly, I never remember her flinching when we asked to her read the story about Peter in jail for the 100th evening in a row! She always kept a corkboard in her kitchen overflowing with pictures and postcards of foreign missionaries that she was continuously praying for.
My papap is a retired Christian and Missionary Alliance pastor and in his younger days, rumor has it, was also pretty good at baseball - the Cardinals are his favorite team. Singing is something he has always enjoyed; but don't expect him to sing you a song, without stopping in the middle of it to tell you about his Savior and all the things that God has done for him. He enjoys late night snacks of ice cream or candy, and never passes up the chance to tell you one of the million good joke he's heard. In the middle of any given conversation, he'll stop you so that he can take the time to pray for you, the future, or whatever it is that is going on.
They both love McDonalds and Cracker Barrell and the bags of mini-assorted candy bars. They love their friends and they really love their family. But, most importantly, they love Jesus, with all their heart. And it could only be because of this, that they've been able to weather 58 years of the storms of life together, and still be as much, if not more in love, than they ever have been.
Sadly, it seems the next storm of life has hit. My grandma has been confined to bed and unable to move as a result of a back injury from a fall. Compounded with her age and other complications going on, the doctor has said that treatments to help don't seem to be working and she's rapidly declining. My papap has suffered tremendously from the stress of worrying about the one he loves and is physically worn down. Additionally, he's scheduled for a colonoscopy within the next week, and the doctors have said that based on the signs, we should be expecting the worst results.
While it's hard to watch all of this going on, what I have seen more and more, is just the way these two people still love and need each other. "I need you" is what my grandma told my papap when we went to visit her in the hospital. My papap, wasn't satisfied until his wheelchair was sitting as close as possible to my grandma's bedside. Like a line from the old country song by Shenandoah - I Wanna Be Loved Like That - that says "One boy fighting for one girl"...it's as if I was able to see for the first time how much each of them really has gone down hill physically, and how much each of them is fighting for the other by still holding on. There's no doubt in my mind, that when one decides it's finally time to let go, the other is going to be quick to follow. They can't help it, they literally love each other so much, I know one won't be able to live without the other. I can only hope that someday, should God choose to bless me with a husband and an earthly picture of His heavenly love, that after a lifetime of goods and bads, we are still fighting for each other until the very end.
I guess to finish, first, let me say that my papap and grandma are two of the most important people to me and I'm so thankful for the Godly example they have been in my life, and I know so many others. Secondly, I would just ask that you would be praying for them. For strength, for health, for the time they have left here on this earth. The selfish part of me wants you to pray that they would be healed completely and live at least another few years; but, realistically, knowing what I know, just pray that whether they have one day left or one year left, that they are happy, comfortable, cared for, and able to be surrounded by their loved ones, as much as possible. And, myself, my family.... can have a peace knowing, that when it is time for them to leave this earth, that they'll be happy in heaven, with no more aches or pains or heartaches, and they'll praising our God forever.
0 comments:
Post a Comment