I just read an article in this week's People magazine about retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Conner. She has to been married to her husband for 54 years, and retired a few years ago to take care of her husband who has been disgnosed with Alzheimer's disease 17 years ago. (So you can imagine it is pretty progressed) The article indicates he is at the stage where he has not really recognized her for awhile, and yet she continues to go visit him regularly. The article was about another little old lady in the assisted living facility that he lives in that he has fallen for. It described how when Sandra goes to visit her husband, the other lady sits with them and holds his hand, etc. And that she has accepted that he does not know SHE is his wife and that at least in this dark part of his life, he can have some sort of small piece of happiness. But she continues to visit him!! Imagine what that must be like for her. And yet her love for him is so strong that she just wants him to be happy in this final little piece of his life. I give much kudos to her to be able to see that and not have it break her heart every time she sees her husband being affectionate with another woman.
Hopefully we can all be so lucky to have that kind of love in our life.
