TRUE LOVE IS FOREVER
Text and Photo by Henrylito D. Tacio
I was in college when the movie, Endless Love, came out. The melodrama moved some people to shed a tear. But what made this film memorable was the theme song, sung by Diana Ross and Lionel Richie.
Some memorable lines include: “My love there’s only you in my life, the only thing that’s bright. You’re every breath that I take. You’re every step I make. And I want to share all my love with you, no one else will do. And your eyes tell me how much you care. Oh yes, you will always be my endless love.”
The song came into my mind as I read the story sent to me by a friend via e-mail. I don’t know who wrote it (a lady physician most probably) but after reading it you would wish you had such love and devotion. The end of the story has this message: “True love is neither physical nor romantic. True love is an acceptance of all that is, has been, will be, and will not be.”
Now read the story for yourself:
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 be 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, as he was in such a hurry. The old answered negatively but he added that he needed to go to the nursing home to eat breakfast with his wife.
I inquired as to her health. He told me that she had been there for a while and that she was suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, a disorder which destroys brain cells, causing problems with memory, thinking and behavior severe enough to affect work, lifelong hobbies or social life. As we talked, I asked if she would be upset if he was a bit late. He replied that she no longer knew who he was, that 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?” The old man 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.”
Love can never be out of season. No one runs out of ideas about it. Poets can go on and on with the subject. A lot of songs have also been written about love. Eric Carmen croons: “Love is all that matters.” Perry Como believes, “Love makes the world go round.” Kenny Rogers agrees, “Love will turn you round.” However, the Eagles band thinks that “love will keep us alive.” Peabo Bryson knows that “love always finds a way.”
If you love someone now, tell that person how much you love him or her. Do it everyday if possible. Never wait for the day when that person is gone. He or she is no longer able to hear your words. Perhaps the words of Troy David Bowden is enough to remind you what love is and how important it is to let your beloved to know your feelings:
“The miss of a lost love can darken the soul. Wishing to see her in the moonlight or day can cause pain and it does in my heart. Her walk was of a God and her eyes were of the dove. Lost am I in this world without her. Her touch made her sound the kiss of forever and the words that came to be.
“She died in my arms, and the pain will never go away. Some nights I cry praying for her to be here, but only alone I come to be. If only someone knew how the pain burns like fire slowly burning the heart. Tears are the only memory of her and her smile.
“No cure could be found and it was only up to God’s time. So many things I still wanted to say to her and so much to do with so little time. Like to take a walk through a park and hold hands as the birds fly free with the wind or to make love on a beach as the waves crash to the shore. She was my true love and to see her go away kills my soul.
“I did all I could to make her time happy, we talk about memories and stories, went to the tree outside our house were I asked her to marry me, but most of the time I just watched her get sicker and sicker and on the day of her death I blew out the candle of our dreams never to light it again.”
Bowden’s final words to his beloved: “Wherever you are I’ll always be here waiting for the day we can once meet again. For when the day comes tears of the past will be gone and tears of the future will lead the way.”
