Madly in Love


This past weekend, Engineer and I were called up from the ranks.
We were asked to take care of his ailing grandparents while his uncle (their usual caregiver) was out of town.

Neither of us have an affinity for medicine.
Nor do we have any clue how to navigate someone else's healthcare.
What we do have is serious resolve and a desire to honor our parents and grandparents.

Nearly 16 years ago we vowed to love each in sickness and in health - we did not specify in whose sickness and health we were loving each other.

But this "Madly" post is not about us, it's about him.  My love.  My hero.  My Engineer.

You can tell a good man by the way he treats his elders.  Engineer is a good man.

My heart swelled at the genuine concern for his grandparents' welfare and the treatment they were given from each facility we visited that day.

I watched as Engineer patiently guided his grandpa through the paperwork.  Filling out most of it himself and deciphering actual medical history through Grandpa's understandable frustration.

He confidently liaised between doctors, pharmacists, nurses, aids, hospitals, and home healthcare.

But it was the way he tenderly lifted his grandma from the wheelchair to the car and back again, over and over and over that truly revealed his inner and outer fortitude.

I know it was hard for him - seeing his grandparents in such a vulnerable state - but he selflessly carried on.

After several hours of being poked and prodded, Grandma was visibly exhausted.  We all were.

At the hospital, Engineer was attempting to gently lift her listless body from the car.
As he maneuvered her gingerly into the wheelchair for the umpteenth time that day, he looked into her eyes, smiled at her, and said with such sweet strength, "Grandma, I've got you."

The first and only time that day that I saw lucidity flash across Grandma's face was when she met his gaze and replied with assurance, "You've got me."

Precious moments often occur when they're least expected - like under a hospital porte cochere.

1-4-3 EM!  I am so thankful that you've got me.

Comments

  1. I know how you feel. My dad was like that and I wanted my husband to be also. Blessed for over 3 decades. Happy Valentine's Day. Linda

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    1. Congratulations on 30+ years of marriage! It is indeed a blessing Ms. Linda. Thanks for stopping by.

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  2. Patience really is a virtue, and a patient man is a wonderful thing to celebrate :)

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  3. What a hard time to see those we love slipping away. We have older relatives in the same position. Kudos to you and your husband for stepping up.

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    1. We've been through this with all of my grandparents and some of his already and it never gets easier.

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  4. Oh my heart swells! We are experiencing the same thing with my 96 year old grandfather. He still lives alone and the 'women' in my family take care of him. But my 'MIL' husband will go visit him on the weekends. He knows that my grandfather needs another man to visit with. I do love him for many reasons, but this is up there!

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    1. That is so important isn't it Ms. Ronda. I never thought of it before but I guess most older men get fussed over by women and they don't have the opportunity to talk with other men very often. Good for your MIL husband. ;)

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  5. That is a very affecting piece. We should be constantly reminded that those kinds of acts are human things and do involve little, gripping details that well define such, since that also involves predicaments and waking lives. Best of luck there, by the way! I hope they have been properly enrolled into insurance business. Thanks for sharing that! All the best!

    Jason Hayes @ DECO

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    1. We have all been schooled now on various insurances and supplements and such. :) Thanks for stopping by!

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