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Ok, so I realize that I'm getting old. I've spent the last month either in the doctor's office, at the hospital, at the pharmacy, or at home and too sick to go out. I wasn't faced with anything life threatening, just little things that were big enough to keep me out of commission for a while. One of my ailments was that I had surgery on my right hand a few weeks ago. And although it's been sometimes frustrating to have the use of only one good hand, I've been doing well and seem to be recovering quickly. (Oh the thrill I felt when I was once again able to open a bottle of water by myself!!) I thought I was seeing a light at the end of the tunnel, then I got a cold, so here we go again. And I have to admit, I haven't been too easy to live with lately. Poor Jim has either been on the road and worried about me, or at home trying to be both nursemaid and housekeeper when resting up from the road life was what he needed and deserved. It has caused me to think a lot about the vows we gave to one another on our wedding day, the promise to love each other "in sickness and in health".
Standing at the altar, those words are spoken with fervent sincerity, but with the belief that the sad parts of the the vows, such as, "poorer", "worse" and "sickness" are only a distant possibility. The day is filled with love, excitement and the promise of a future with the one you love. There is just no room for sadness on such a wonderful day. But the honest truth is that "life" happens and all too often, "poorer", "worse" and "sickness" are a very absolute reality.
I know my dad never expected his bride of twenty years to suffer a stroke that left her incapable of being the help mate she had always been. I continually saw his love in action as in the months after she came home, he bathed her, washed and combed her hair, and fed her, all the while being father to me and provider of our needs. Now, although she isn’t strong enough to do all the things she used to, she is able to cook and clean a little and does her best to do those things that let her show love in action to him.
When my sister-in-law repeated the vows of matrimony, "in sickness and in health" held greater meaning for her than for most brides. You see, her fiance had recently been diagnosed with cancer and little chance of survival. When she said those familiar words, she KNEW that sickness would fill the greater part of her marriage and although there would be happiness, there would also be much pain. She put her love into action for nine months, caring for him until the day God called him home.
An older gentleman came to a concert a while back and shared with Jim that he enjoys our love songs, especially one that Jim wrote entitled "Living A Dream". He said that his wife is now in a nursing facility and she no longer recognizes him each day when he visits. But he sings to her "I'm living a dream with my eyes wide open, I've found a treasure for life..." because he loves her, not for what she is now, but for what she was. How sweet, his love in action!
I know my situation is miniscule in comparison to what others have had to face. But I am so very grateful for Jim, that he spoke those vows with sincerity and has shown me love in action.
The phrase “actions speak louder than words” now comes to mind and it has become a challenge within my heart. I hope you will be challenged too. Let’s do more than speak words of love to those closest to us, let’s put our love into action!!
Melissa Brady
http://www.jimandmelissabrady.com
Reader Comments
What a great article! You are truly a blessed woman to have such a wonderful man.
God is good all the time & all the time God is good.
Elaine Harcourt
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Written: 07/01/2007 
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Category:
Love Stories
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