Love Like This

I have a friend that is watching the love of her life wilt away with cancer. My heart breaks 100 times a day for their family.

I met her online of sorts. I bought a Christian childbirth book off of ebay from her. When I got it in the mail, I realized that she lived close to my hometown and I emailed her. She was pregnant at the time. We became very good friends. I can remember pouring over emails to each other during some lonely times, and I would stop and see her whenever I traveled through her town.

Her and her husband have always, without fail, always been “that” couple. They adore each other and have always been a strong, stable unit. He loves her and she loves him. They click and they are amazing. They are the couple that you look to and say, “I want love like that.”

She has 5000 friends on facebook now and has gotten really into the hunting world and met lots of people, so we haven’t stayed quite as personal as we once were, but she’s still a great friend that I trust immensely. A little over a month ago, I got an email asking for prayer for her husband. At the time, they didn’t know what was wrong with him but that he was very sick.

Long story short, they learned that he has Stage IV cancer.

Within the last week, they went to Houston to seek medical help and after a shorter than expected visit, they are vacationing there now. They have not shared the news as to what happened, but I’m expecting the worst just based on what has and hasn’t been said.

Watching them handle this with such grace and pure love is amazing! I’ve put myself in both of their shoes. I cannot imagine being either one of them. How do watch the man that you’ve dedicated your life to and loved completely die a slow and painful death? How do, as the protector, provider, strong and stable father and husband, endure watching your wife and 3 beautiful daughters (all old enough to understand) stand by unable to make you better and knowing that one day you will not be those things to the ones that need you to be those things. And, on both sides, there is nothing you can do. What they are doing is right way. They are enjoying every single minute of their existence together. They are laughing, loving and thoroughly enjoying each other. I’m certain there are tears, but I’ve seen that they must be accompanied with celebration of life and love.

They got up early in Galveston this morning, went to the beach and watched the sun rise. He sometimes gets up before her and leaves her a message as a status on her facebook account, and it melts you. He loves her. He adores her. He pours himself over her. She remains upbeat and full of feistiness.

Their love is a testimony, but it still breaks my heart a 100 times a day!