Sent
by Nancy Corliss
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, as he was in such a
hurry. The gentleman told me no, 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
ha d 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 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?” 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. Life
isn't about how to survive the storm, but how to dance in the rain.