Pure and Good...

I witnessed love again tonight at the Hospice House.

A man sat tirelessly at the bedside of his wife of 47 years. He held her hand the entire time I was in the room. The nurses later revealed to me that this was his customary pose.

I watched as we talked. His wife was semi-conscious with occasional episodes of wakefulness. The entire room revolved around this special lady, her love for him and his for her. Well rehearsed stories of how they met, times of exceeding joy and how she would, still to this moment in time, look him square in the eyes and say, "What did you say??? You don't know what the Hell you are talking about!" He then would laugh and squeeze her hand tightly..."She's still here."

She then would weakly but peacefully open her eyes to see who stood before her and then drift back into her dreams of Angels, Heaven and everything that surrounds Goodness. The moment her eyes would open, he would jump to his feet, approach closely but gently and gaze deeply into her eyes. Their eyes would finally lock...her's sleepy and his wishful. She would then smile the most beautiful smile that immediately transformed her face from that of the dying, to a face of joy, a face of laughter, a face of unconditional love. A face that he swore he would never stop seeking...if it was only one more time.
In was quite transparent that her contagious smile was the creator of every hope and every dream that he knew to exist.

I found myself smiling...larger than I had smiled all day. I felt warm and full of a love that radiated from deep inside of them, to deep inside of me.
Contagious, it was.

I am so Blessed.

An excerpt from "Pure and Good" Copyright 2009