True Love

   Have you met people who've been married so long they really do begin to look alike? I think they probably looked a bit alike in the early years of marriage, but what do I know? Marvin and I have been married 41 years this July, but we don't really resemble each other. And there have been years when I wondered if we could even survive this relationship, much less look alike!
   When I review my journals (from 1979), I learn a lot: I loved that man soooooo much in the early years. But there came a time when the struggles took their toll, and I felt like my love died. A friend from England told me then, "Karen, you can't fix that love. It's like fine china that's been shattered and cannot be put back together in the way it used to be. You will need a  new love for your husband which only God can give you." And God did.
    This Valentine's Day I thought of that again. I brought Marvin home for some Thai food, some delicious grape tomatoes, and some ice cream. After dinner he laid on the couch with his head in my lap and we watched a little television together.
    With Huntington's Disease ravaging all the cells of his body, Marvin doesn't really talk much. But we were comfortable with the silence and with each other. The next morning this very old song was on my mind when I woke.
    You are my sunshine, my only sunshine.
    You make me happy when skies are gray.
    You'll never know, dear, how much I love you.
    Please don't take my sunshine away.
   
    Don't take love for granted, ever.

Valentine Musings

    Twas Valentine Eve and all through the store
    Balloons everywhere and no carts by the door
    The card aisle was packed with late shoppers and lovers
    Hoping something would do; hoping they would discover
    The perfect gift, perfect greeting to take to their spouse
    To bring peace and harmony back to their house
    We need special days: Valentine's, Christmas, birthdays
    To make amends for the myriad, the hundreds of ways
    We fail to be loving, thoughtful, and grateful
    To pay for the times we're sarcastic and hateful
    A day here and there just isn't enough 
    To make up for the days we leave in a huff
    Forgetting to say what is deep in our hearts
    Ignoring our loved ones, tearing families apart
    Instead, let's make every day one of the kind
    We work a bit harder and better to find
    The words or the actions, the best ways to share
    The thoughts and the feelings, the love and the care