“In sickness and in health”.
Having been married for almost 75 years, this elderly couple still appreciates the importance of a date night.
In 2017, a woman captured the moment the 96-year-old husband was feeding his 93-year-old wife who was suffering from Alzheimer’s. The photograph and the caption which accompanied it can be seen below:
As I was sitting eating my double cheeseburger at Wendy’s, I glanced over at this older couple, and thought ‘That’s sweet’ And continued with my meal. But when I looked again, in between bites, I saw this gentleman feeding his wife. My whole life I’ve yearned for a love that strong. The gentleman got up from his seat to throw his food away and I couldn’t resist asking how long he and his wife had been married. He looked at me and asked me to guess his age but not to guess too low. After a few guesses he told me he was 96 and his wife is 93 who is suffering from Alzheimer’s. This is their date night. He also told me that if they make it till June, they will be celebrating 75 years of marriage! Getting all the way to the end of the line with the person you started out with is one of the most glorious things on the face of this earth. Could a couple be more blessed than to have that happen? To share a deep love and bond that only grows as we age, that is a beautiful thing.
According to Aria Gmitter, this couple teaches us the following things about love and how we can make it last forever:
1. The importance of date night
As time goes by, couples forget the importance of date nights. In fact, many do not even have a designated date night once they get married and have children. Although it becomes difficult and expensive to arrange a night out once you have a family, it is important that you find a way to do so. Date nights keep the love alive as a couple focuses on nothing else apart from each other. This means that partners can voice and express any concerns they might have, making sure that they never lose track of what’s truly important.
2. It is the little things that matter most
In the case of the elderly couple, the simple act of feeding your partner shows how deep the love is. The same goes for all small gestures as they speak volumes about the feelings you hold for one another. Actions often speak louder than words and this is especially true in love.
3. Romance does not have to be expensive
Your date night does not have to be expensive: it can be a walk on the beach, a picnic or like this elderly couple, a dinner at Wendy’s. Aria Gmitter comments on this as she writes: ‘Focus on each other and you’ll have a relationship money could never buy’.
4. Do not worry about what others may think
You should not care and it should not matter how you appear in public. If you want to have your date night at a small and relatively inexpensive place – do so! If you want to feed your wife – do so! Do whatever you need to do in order to feel closer to one another without worrying how you may appear to strangers.
5. Love is about giving without expectations
This 96-year-old man reminds us that love is selfless: it is about giving without expecting absolutely anything in return.
6. It is not about what you have but what you do
When it comes to love, it is your gestures and actions which make all the difference. Money and material things do not speak as loudly as the gestures which show tremendous and profound love.
