** This article is based on nonfiction by actual events that I have experienced firsthand; used with permission.
I love working with the elderly. There’s never a dull moment. Recently, a man I was caring for was kissing his wife goodbye while she went to run some errands. As he kissed her, she told him, “I love you.” She stood and waited for him to respond in like.
After a few minutes of awkward silence, I heard her ask him, “Don’t you want to say I love you back to me”? He responded, “No, I already told you that on the day I married you, over 50 years ago, and it still hasn’t changed, so why would I need to repeat it”?
The woman stammered for a moment and then kissed him again and left for her errands. As she left, my elderly friend mumbled about how he shouldn’t have to repeat the words “I Love You” each time she went somewhere and returns.
As I listened to this, I pondered for a few moments. Then I came upon an epiphany. While yes, she does know he loves her, she still wants to hear it every day. What if, for some reason, she didn’t return from those errands? What I that is the last time either of them heard those words from one another?
So I asked my friend this question, “What if your loving wife never returned? Would you want to have told her you love her one last time”? He paused deep in thought. Then, he asked me to bring him the phone.
As he dialed and she picked up, he told her, “I Love You, Sweetheart.” How about you? Do you tell your loved ones that you love them each time they leave?
Comments / 3