Not long ago, my husband, Ivan and I went to a chamber orchestra concert upon the invitation of one of Ivan’s clients. This client is an older man in his mid-80s who played the bassoon. He invites us every year, so we dress up and sit and listen to soothing music for a couple of hours.
This particular night, we sat next to a couple in their 90’s who had come to the concert with their granddaughter. Their shoulders were hunched, their hands wrinkled and affected by arthritis. Their eyes were watching their daughter play the viola in the orchestra. They were proud and excited to be there.
Throughout the evening, the husband would put his hand on his wife’s knee and it wasn’t long before she would place her dainty, gnarled hand on his and begin to rub his fingers. Occasionally, they would glance at each other and smile. During the intermission, she asked her husband how he liked the concert and he said, in his shaky voice, “It’s almost enough to make me cry.” She patted his hand.
When the music began again, she looked up at him and said, “Oh, I almost forgot to tell you that I love you.” He looked at her with love in his eyes and said, “Oh, dear, I already know that. I love you back”, and patted her knee.
At that moment, I told them that my husband and I wanted to be just like them when we “grow up”. They both grinned and reached for each others’ hand again. I met two new people that evening, but it was like I was looking into my future as I saw the same love in them that my Ivan and I have for each other, “Thank You, Lord God, for the blessing of our wonderfully loving marriage.”