Wedding Day                                                                                                                                                   

Keith Ferris Photo

“My bounty is as boundless as the sea,
My love as deep. The more I give to thee,
The more I have, for both are infinite.” ~ Romeo and Juliet, Act 2, scene 2, lines 140 – 142

I have you to guide me through my troubles and fears.
I’ll always be here for you through your struggles and tears.
I love you more than my words could ever show.
You mean everything to me; I just want you to know.
I’ll be here for you no matter the dilemma.
You will always be first on my agenda. ~ Luke O. Meyers

On Valentine’s Day, our thoughts turn to love. I’m pretty sure we all believe we know what love is. But for my husband and me, a wonderful example of what love is emerged recently when our daughter was diagnosed with a challenging health situation, and we saw how caring, supportive and protective of her our son-in-law has been.

Since our daughter’s diagnosis, our son-in-law has demonstrated that he is not just a terrific husband when they both are strong and healthy and times are good, but that he is a spousal rock star in tough times as well. Always thoughtful, our son-in-law kicked into high gear, organizing the house to accommodate her recoveries, accompanying her to every time-consuming appointment whether long-distance or nearby, absorbing information, discussing options and supporting our daughter’s decisions, researching everything from medical terms to recipes, shopping, cooking and providing physical and emotional comfort, protecting her and keeping her spirits up with his devotion and terrific sense of humor.

Marriage in the best of times involves ups and downs. And when young people exchange those vows, “in sickness and in health,” they are not expecting the sickness part — other than occasional flu or minor accident — to occur for a very long time, if ever. So, when a serious situation strikes while they are still young it can test the strength of the marriage and the character of the partners. We are overjoyed to see how well our daughter and son-in-law are pulling together to get through this unexpected and unwelcome detour from their life plans. 

Their story began in high school. They became friends in mock trial club, each taking a turn as president. They went their separate ways to college, meeting again a decade later and marrying a few years afterward. It turned out that they enjoy many of the same things, see eye to eye on most issues, are alike where it counts and different in ways that keep things interesting. They admire, respect and champion each other. And, of course, there is love. 

As parents, ours is a very special kind of love, and our daughter and son-in-law have all of our love and support, as well as the love and support of our son-in-law’s mother, our wonderful machatainista. But our son-in-law is the most important person in our daughter’s life, and he has shown that he knows what love is. And, so, this post is our Valentine to him, with love and gratitude.

My hope for you, dear readers, is that you, too, know what love is — whether it’s with your spouse, partner, significant other, family, friends or other loved ones. Happy Valentine’s Day!

Until next time,

Jeanne

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