D and I watched a fantastic movie last night. I happen to be a little behind on my "great movie" watching so I am sure you have seen it. We watched "The Notebook". I do believe this film was nominated for an academy award. If not, it should have been.
This is the story of two people who fall in love during a summer fling and really never forget each other. It is told by the man reading the story to his wife who suffers from dimentia. Mainly it is a flashback type of thing but with shots of their present life stuck in. The way the story is told is just marvelous. You realize how much these two people really love each other and that it will always be that way. In the end he finishes the story and she is trying to figure out why the story sounds so familiar. She finally realizes that it is them that he has been reading about. She asks her husband, "how much time to we have?" To which he replies, "Last time is was only about 5 minutes." You see, he reads her the same story everyday to try to help her remember. They embrace and dance until her memory yet again fades and she loses her grip with reality.
This man chooses to live in the nursing home with his wife because he can't stand to live without her. After a heart attack he sneaks into her isolation ward just so he can see her beautiful face. I won't totally spoil the ending just in case you haven't seen it.
As we watched the movie I thought about Derek's grandparents. I remember one year they travelled to the Northwest from Kansas and Bunny (Derek's grandmother) got sick. She had some heart troubles in the past so illness was not to be taken lightly. Derek's Grandfather faithfully sat at her bedside everyday. He would come out of the bedroom to briefly have lunch with us and then state, "well I have to go back to sit with Bunny." I thought it was odd at the time but now I realize how special it was.
Similarily, my grandmother suffers from mulitple strokes. Everytime she has a significant one my Grandfather races to the phone to call my mom. He is so worried and my mom is the one who helps him through.
These men love these women with every ounce of their being. They couldn't imagine a day without them. I admire that so much.
Life has delt D and I some bad stuff. But through all of it we have been there for each other. This past year I felt like things would be so much better if we could just get the boy home. I realized that despite the setbacks we have had that I still have D. He is there, watching over me. There is this man who love me with all his heart and all his soul. And I love him.
No matter what he will always be there. Holding my hand. Cheering me on. Telling me our life story.
I couldn't ask for anything better.

Do me a favor. Get up right now. Go find your spouse. Tell them just how much you love them and how grateful you are for the love they give you. Be sincere, anything else would be just cheap.

Happy New Year to you all!!! May this be the year.