Tuesday, February 5, 2013

February Faces: The Best of All



Now? he asked himself. Why, now, at the end of his life, a new dimension existed:
the communication of love itself in service; 
wordless, nameless, and all-pervading;
transfiguring his daily life.
And this experience--it astonished him--was the best of all.

Anne Morrow Lindbergh in her novel Dearly Beloved


These are the words of of a husband caring for his ill wife in their old age. No doubt that being a caregiver can be the hardest job of all--and that this is a book of fiction--but isn't his a sweet attitude?

10 comments:

  1. Dewena,
    I am really enjoying popping in and reading your February faces tribute to Valentines. I always leave your blog with many thoughts.. I just hope and pray that if one day I may fall with an illness that my husband will have the same sweet attitude and patience. I know he will.....He better.. LOL

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  2. If I saw this couple in person, I would call them Toast and Honey....because they seem to belong together. Older couples some times do not need words. Hopefully love can triumpth over illness.xoxo,Susie

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  3. Another great post-love these February faces!
    Have a good week.

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  4. Beautiful. Reminds me a little of C.S. Lewis and his wife Joy.

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  5. Dewena, love that old black and white photo of the happy couple. I think caring for an ill or dying loved one has to be one of the most difficult trials in life. Another beautiful post. laurie

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  6. hi dewena
    i clicked on your name after you visited my blog and found myself here.
    so glad i came!
    i am a lover of old photos too ~ from my favorite eras ~ the 40's and early 50's. but then i love the 30's too ~ such a stylish time. notice how everyone "posed" in pictures then?
    i have been enjoying browsing through the posts on your website.
    this post is especially poignant for me.
    i took care of my husband through his losing battle with throat cancer.
    those were precious days. i know had the tables been turned ~ that care would have been given the same for me. he was just that kind of man.
    i'll visit again!
    this is a lovely blog.
    cheers,
    tammy j

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  7. Hi Dewena, What a lovely couple. Being a caretaker has got to be a job of love. A teacher I knew recently passed away from Alzheimer's and her devoted husband who cared for her all her life, but especially these last years is beside himself and doesn't know what to do with himself. My friend cares for her mother who also has this disease and is in the nursing home. How they love. peggy from PA

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  8. That's a very sweet quote! I am a caregiver for my 89 year old mother, who lives with us. She moved in after my dad died, but she cared for him for years. Now it is she who needs care.

    It can be very stressful to be a caregiver sometimes, especially in times like now when I am supposed to be resting my back. But my sweet family helps when they are home and today, for example, my 19 year old drove to the store just because my mom was wanting chicken noodle soup.

    I KNOW that years of spending time with their grandparents and now having my mom live with us has taught my boys empathy and a tender heart toward the elderly. It also teaches the gift of service, just as the quote said!

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  9. Caregiving can be a burden or a blessing... and the caregiver needs faith, too.

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  10. "In sickness and in health".....truly, the greatest test of love.

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