My story is about a couple that goes to my church.They had been married 52 years that in itself is a rarity.She found out three and a half years ago that she had ovarian cancer. Three times the doctors told her that they thought that the chemotherapy had worked and that she was fine. Three times they were wrong. A few weeks ago they took her off her medication because it wasn't working anymore.
Her husband is in bad health as well. He has had chronic back pain for the past five years. At times his back is so bad that he can't get out of bed for weeks.
Last week I got a call from him (I work at the church as the church secretary)， he was crying and wanted to let everyone at church know that his wife was being taken to hospital and asked for everyone's prayers. The doctor had just told him that they only expect his wife to live a few more days. I sat on the other end of the phone listening to him cry and trying to make sense of how he could love and take care of a person for 52 years.
I chose this couple for my love story because ever since I was a little girl sitting in church Sunday mornings I can remember them and the great love that they had for each other. Every week that they were able to come to church they would sit so close to each other and hold hands. They were right there beside each other at all the church functions， and when she was too weak to feed herself， he would sit next to her and feed her until she ate what he considered to be satisfactory. They both love reading， and each week they would check out a book from the church library and read it together the following week.As I listened to him on the phone， he was so upset with himself that he wasn't strong enough to keep her at home and take care of her himself. He said that he felt helpless， that he couldn't do anything to help her. What do you say to someone on the phone that was about to loose everything that he has ever known？
The day that I talked to him on the phone was the day that they took her into hospital and she died three days later. My mom went to see her the day before she died. My mom said that he was right there next to her bed holding her hand and reading to her.I thought that the story of their love was a great example， a love that endured everything. I know that it doesn't have a happy ending but the love that these two people had for each other was far beyond what I have ever experienced in my life. This was the kind of love that endured through 52 years of marriage.This couple loved and cared for each other through the best and worst times of their life， even right up to the end.