Today started out like any other Friday.
7am- wake up
8am- actually wake up
8:30am- Get to work
Pretty typical morning.
During a break between patients Matt called and as usual, our conversation drifted towards wedding plans. Unfortunately, we have different ideas and more often than not we end up getting frustrated with each other and no plans get worked out. Today was no different.
I got back to work, and was greeted by a friendly face that always pokes her head out to greet me good morning. But today was different.
As I greeted Mrs. Smith* (name has been changed) and asked how she was doing, she told me that her husband had passed away this past week. Her husband of 70 years. She is 90 years old, he was 91.
Married for 70 years. Amazing.
As I expressed my sorrow for her deceased husband, she looked at me with tears brimming in her eyes and asked if I was married. I explained that I was engaged and in the process of trying to plan our wedding. Mrs. Smith got that far-away look in her eye and leaned closer to me.
"May I offer you some advice?" She asked.
"Of course." I replied.
She smiled. What she said next are words that I will always remember.
"Marriage does not guarantee that you will be together forever. It's only paper. It takes love, respect, trust, understanding, friendship, and faith in your relationship to make it last. So don't sweat the small stuff about this wedding planning. If you know he's the one that you want to spend the rest of your life with, then start building up the attributes I just told you instead of getting frustrated about a wedding day. You want a marriage more beautiful than your wedding."
I couldn't believe it. What an amazing woman. What an amazing life they must have had together. I can only hope that Matthew and I will be as happy and content with each other as they were.
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We are a work in progress with a lifetime contract.
