This Valentine's Day is extremely special for our family this year. My 91-year-old widowed father is marrying an 80-year-old widowed lady. Yes, he’s robbing the cradle. He’s quite a Silver Fox and she is a doll. Watching a courtship at that age is some show.
First of all, I have seen that no matter our age physically love makes us young. The term “twitterpated” from Bambi comes to mind. But their youthful joy at finding a future of love with each other is infectious for all of us who surround them.
The second lesson is that mourning does not have to last forever. You can choose to let your heart grow bigger to include more love. The place in your heart held by your first love will always be there but the heart can grow bigger to add more love and more life. This is not replacing the place of the first love but making a beautiful new place alongside it for the new love.
The third lesson comes from something my cousin said to my Dad, “If joy comes by, grab a handful of happiness.” Joy is a choice we must make at any age. Sometimes the older we get the more we get set into a melancholy rut and become grouchy old men and cranky old women. As I watch my father and his beloved, I see daily choices being made to rest in each other’s love and enjoy the peace and sweet companionship that follows. They give healing to each other’s wounds and hope for however long they may have on this earth. A true Valentine's Day!