My dad is 81, and just before he turns 82 in October he plans on getting married.
Mom died two years ago. They were married for more than 55 years. The last ten years of her life, he pretty much took care of her and the last three years of her life it was a 100% deal. She could hardly do a thing for herself. By the end he was emotionally depleted and physically exhausted. But he loved her. So he did it. It was a “until death do us part” sort of deal and he stuck to the deal. That was true love.
I just spent a week with dad in the Seattle area at the retirement center where he is—Warm Beach. One of the reasons I went when I did was because I love Seattle in July and August and the golfing is great. But the real reason is that I wanted to spend some time with him before he got married again. And to meet this gal he has been telling me about.
Bev is four years younger, a widow for the past thirty years. Her husband, a music professor at King’s College, drowned in a boating accident. Although from Washington State, she stayed on in New York and finished out a career in teaching. She is well educated (Seattle Pacific, Columbia), and well read (an expert on C.S. Lewis), and musical (she sings). Her place is neat as a pin and she is clearly a “get it done” gal.
Sidelong glances, a tender touch, a pat on the back of the hand–and all the other signs of new true love were there. It was fun to watch. They were like a pair of giddy teenagers…without the undercurrent of hormones.
But they know what love is. And they know what they are getting into at their age. And–get this– each thinks they are getting the better end of the deal.
I think age distills. Time is short, and time is of the essence. And for both of them it is love….again.
(2005)