What is true love? Is it found in summer flings, lasting relationships, or young puppy love? I believe that I found one of my first examples of true love in the love story of my Grandpa and Grandma. A love story that is marked by time and unconditional love.
My grandpa, John, and my grandma, Ann, have been married 67 years and are both in their early 90's. God crafted their love story at a very early age during the 1940's. My grandma always dates back to when she first met my grandpa. They were both very young at only 23 years old. She tells me that it was love at first sight when she met him in her neighborhood and they have been together ever since. They now have a large family with seven children and many grandchildren. Unfortunately, my grandpa has been handicapped with Dementia for 11 years now. He has almost lost all of his vision and can no longer speak but only a few words. He has to sleep in a medical bed with an oxygen tank right beside him every night. However, my Grandma has been able to stay mobile and keep most of her memory to this day. Although some things are uncertain to her in her old age, one thing always proves certain, the love she shares with her husband.
Their love goes beyond circumstance and dives into unconditional adoration for one another. Even with the tough condition my grandpa faces, my grandma still goes on about how alive he makes her feel when she is with him. She always talks to him with sweet tender words that are marked with the love they have shared over all their seasons together. Not one night will go by where she does not sleep near him in her recliner chair. Their master bed has been vacant for years now, for she refuses to sleep in their room alone but would much rather sleep in the living room right by her husband. She once told me that the only sleep she can get is when she hears the sound of her husband breathing, which soothes her right to sleep. One of the most precious memories I have of my Grandpa and Grandma is when they hold each other’s hands. I often imagine how many memories they made while holding each other’s hands in pure love. Their first date, their wedding day, the birth of their first child, their trials in building a business, their morning coffee together, their first grandchild, their trips to the hospital for my grandpa’s health, their daily prayers together, and so on. Never once have I seen my Grandpa and Grandma without their hands intertwined together. Whether my Grandma is at the kitchen table or out on the porch, she always asks for my Grandpa to be right beside her. I cry sometimes watching the way they are together and how precious their love is. Even though life has seasoned them and time has weathered them, their love is stronger with each passing day. Sometimes I will catch a glance of my grandpa smiling when grandma talks to him or touches his hand. It melts my heart to see life continue for them through their love for one another.
Their beautiful love story reminds me of the verse in 1 Corinthians 13, “If you love someone you will be loyal to them no matter what the cost. You will always believe in them, always expect the best in them, and always stand your ground in defending them…gifts and powers from God will one day come to an end, but love goes on forever.” My Grandpa and Grandma bring this verse to life through their unconditional love for one another. A shining example of what true love is meant to be.
I know that even when this world has come to pass their love will continue forever. I believe that when God has taken them home, I will one day see them both in Heaven walking the Golden Road hand in hand just as they have done for 67 years. I pray that John and Ann Mariotti are an example to us that love is not conditional but self-sacrificial, always putting the other above ourselves. In any circumstance, let love prevail.
"...the only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love." Galations 5:6
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