I lost my first “person”.

She had a man that loved her for forty years.

They never married.

I don’t know exactly why.

She was divorced. (This can make anyone extremely apprehensive.)

It could be so many reasons, but they loved each other and that was enough for them.

We smuggled him in and he sat by her bed, for three days; his love was silently shaking the walls of the building, and all of us, if we’re being honest.

We couldn’t help but glance in, wanting to know and be a part of such a beautiful moment, however, reluctant to interrupt or make even a small vibration in the connection that we knew was happening.

We had no choice but to walk by, which felt like, too many times.

However, he just sat there, for hours upon hours, holding her hand, head down at times, often, we could hear his sobs; but resilient when any of us walked in: to take the necessary vitals or the moment we felt we should say our last goodbyes.

And now she is gone.

He is grieving and my heart aches for him beyond what I can imagine.

She adored him.

She incessantly talked about him to the degree we all became a little tired of it at times, to be honest. 🤦🏻‍♀️

And yet now, I wish I could hear her talk about him even one more time!

He was her hero, he loved her well and was her constant..

They knew love, to the end: where her body was thin and her chest protruded, her hair thin, her breathing shallow.

Yet, sitting by her side, he only saw her.

Her love.

Her.

All of her.

He watched her as she took her last breath and entered eternity with Jesus.

He will likely follow, soon, I’ve seen it more than I ever knew could be real. Because love is real and lives within us. Without it, we wither.

My hope is that he stays resilient, continues to find love, wherever possible and lives his life to the fullest!

May we all keep love alive all around us, to the best we can! I believe, love, when it is felt and experienced, in any capacity, it is what truly propels us in all areas of life!

#death #grieving #eternity #love #Alzheimers #dimentia #resilence #hope