What an extraordinary piece of writing in that it captures the love of the writers parents for each other as well as his love for them.
All over the world, there are such stories of devotion as I see this in my parents who are 95 and 92 and married for 65 years. My Dad is on the memory care side of a lovely facility and my Mom on assisted with a full time aide. They each swore that would never happen. Every day my Mom spends her days on the memory side reassuring my Dad of anything and everything at the cost of her health. Solomon’s piece with reference to poetry and music makes his observations that more heartfelt and poignant. Marriage is a strange invention indeed—but some people just keep making it better. Thank you for this gift of words.
Her days, and her nights, now revolve around him. She drives him to the doctor. She dispenses his baffling array of medications. She lifts him into the shower and she bathes him and she dresses him and she launders the clothes he has soiled. She rises at 4 a.m. to begin again. She is a moon in furious orbit around a collapsing star. She is 80 years old now. He is 82.
Perhaps they had taught me something else about love. If you are lucky, you will have someone for whom you will want to do whatever it takes, and without question, until the very end.
This is painful, heartbreaking, and beautiful. Reading it enlarges my soul.
That kind of devotion that can cost you just about everything is mysterious and kind of terrifying. It’s no wonder the son didn’t marry!
I can’t believe she lived into her 80’s. She was a force!
beautiful and heartbreaking. so so heartbreaking. disease is so hard
Honestly so sad tbh, Lost my Dad to cancer some years back...nobody tells you how fast it changes the people you love.
Incredibly moving. Heavy but effortless to read.
What an extraordinary piece of writing in that it captures the love of the writers parents for each other as well as his love for them. All over the world, there are such stories of devotion as I see this in my parents who are 95 and 92 and married for 65 years. My Dad is on the memory care side of a lovely facility and my Mom on assisted with a full time aide. They each swore that would never happen. Every day my Mom spends her days on the memory side reassuring my Dad of anything and everything at the cost of her health. Solomon’s piece with reference to poetry and music makes his observations that more heartfelt and poignant. Marriage is a strange invention indeed—but some people just keep making it better. Thank you for this gift of words.
This is painful, heartbreaking, and beautiful. Reading it enlarges my soul.
That kind of devotion that can cost you just about everything is mysterious and kind of terrifying. It’s no wonder the son didn’t marry! I can’t believe she lived into her 80’s. She was a force!
Stunning! Incredibly moving. A true love story. Heartbreaking.
Wow! Beautiful and heart wrenching!
Beautiful.