How to Dance in the Rain
It was a busy
morning, about 8:30, when an elderly gentleman in his 80's arrived to have
stitches removed from his thumb. He said he was in a hurry as he had
an
appointment at 9:00 am.
I took his vital signs and
had him take a seat, knowing it would be over an hour before someone would
to able to see him. I saw him looking at his watch and decided,
since I was not busy with another patient, I would evaluate his wound. On
exam, it was well healed, so I talked to one of the doctors, got the
needed supplies to remove his sutures and redress his wound.
While
taking care of his wound, I asked him if he had
another
doctor's appointment
this morning.
He
said no, he needed to go to the nursing home to eat breakfast
with his wife.
I
inquired as to her health.
He told me she had been there for a
while and that she was a victim of Alzheimer's Disease.
As we talked, I asked if she would be upset if he was a bit late.
He replied she no longer knew who he was, she had not
recognized him in five years now .
I was
surprised, and asked him, 'And you still go every morning, even though she
doesn't know who you are?'
He smiled as
he patted my hand and said,
'She doesn't
know me, but I still know who she
is.'
I had to hold
back tears as he left, I had goose bumps on my arm, and
thought,
'That
is the kind of love I want in my life.'
True love is neither
physical, nor romantic.
True love is
an acceptance of all that is, has been, will be, and will not
be.
With
all the jokes and fun that are in e-mails, sometimes there is one that
comes along that has an important message. This one I thought I could
share with you.
The happiest people don't
necessarily have the best of everything;
they just make
the best of everything they have.
I hope you share this
with someone you care about. I just
did.
'Life isn't
about how to survive the storm,
but how to dance in the
rain.
