Real Love

I've been away from this for a while mostly because I've been so sad about the loss of my younger sister's husband and brother-in-law due to cancer last week. Its been a hard trial for my family and especially for Joy who I care about a great deal, so I don't wish to say a lot about it other than I feel that I've learned an important lesson that all of us can benefit from this.

Almost two years ago I was on a date with a girl that I cared about a great deal. When I went home and fell asleep I awoke a few hours later to learn that she'd had a tragic accident while trying to get in her apartment. She broke both of her feet and a portion of her back. I went to the hospital where she was and was terribly sad to see her there in pain. As the day went on her family and I decided that someone should stay the night in the hospital with her. I volunteered as soon as I could and tried to make myself comfortable on a chair next to her bed. If you know my you'll understand that it's difficult for me to fit on a chair to sleep on and it turned out to be a long night for me, but it didn't matter, I cared about the girl in pain next to me more than my comfort at that time. I only lasted one night on that chair and a few nights later she was able to go home from the hospital. I learned from this experience that I really was in love with that girl. Even with that experience, it doesn't even begin to compare with what I witnessed last week.

Last week I visited my sister Joy who was staying in the hospital with her new husband. She had been sleeping on a chair next to her beloved husband Eric for over a month. When I walked in the room and sat on the chair, and we talked with her, I knew what real love was again. I know now, that even though Eric has moved on, his and Joy's marriage will last forever. Because of their temple marriage, and because they love each other more than what most people have been married a lifetime could understand.

Love you Joy and Eric.