Love is Present Here

Her eyes drooped downward the entire photo session. It was a struggle to make eye contact and to keep her from nodding off. I wondered who she was... All around her, her family treated her like a delicate doll-they approached her with reverence and they uttered words in her ear I could but faintly hear. They placed a photo on her lap. A sailor stood there with his arms wrapped around a beautiful young woman, the same woman now stricken with Alzheimer’s. She was a military spouse. What was her story?

A single mother in a foreign country walked into a mailroom on a United States Naval base. From there the details are faint but the climax to the story and the overall message: Love was present there. It drove the young Carmen to marry her handsome sailor, Allen. She moved to a foreign country and pursued a life in a culture she barely knew. She lost him nearly thirty-four years ago and never found it in her heart to remarry. Her life was undoubtedly filled with lessons of wisdom, courage and perseverance yet ten years ago her diagnosis prodded her to memory to fade, and in it’s detrition the details were lost. Despite her worn recollection, and ability to communicate with words, the presence of love was undeniable. I listened as her son held her on her lap and sang so softly in her ear a song that she immediately recognized. A tear rolled down her wrinkled cheek as he held her. Love was present there...

There was a time when men in uniform weren’t welcomed home with parades, cheering crowds, and grateful hearts. Bob was awarded the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart during the Vietnam War. Two awards he wasn’t proud of. He told the love of his life that he was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. A piece of shrapnel that remained near his eye remindedhim of a less than glorious moment for the rest of his life. Killing anything was not something he was proud of. His soul was gentle. His wounds were not merely secluded to physical wounds. His heart felt sorrow; he carried the emotional weight of a wartime some of us only read about in History books on his shoulders until cancer claimed his life this past year. Though dark days were prominent in Bob’s life, he found joy in the simple things. He found love, he built things with his hands, and he enjoyed the beauty of simpleminded sunsets and time with his sweetheart. Even in the midst of post traumatic era-love was present there...

We see love present in our lives every day.

From the simplest of days at home eating breakfast with our families, to the bear hugs when we finally see our loved ones again.

We see love in the friendships we make with our fellow spouses. We see love from neighbors that have not even the faintest idea of the battles we quietly fight.

Love is forever present in our lives, even at times when the very people our service members vow to defend deem our nation unworthy of fighting for.

Love is present even when promises are revoked on the floors of congress.

Despite the hardships we face, if one looks deep enough love is always present.

In days when our worth is questioned and the sacrifice of those we love loses it’s reverence, let us serve as reminders to each other that our lives are full of good.

What reminders do you have in your lives that though times may be difficult, testify of love and happiness? now read... How to Survive Deployment When You Have Nothing Left To Give all photo credit: Morgan Slade Photography Connect with us on Facebook!