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.
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