Yes I Do

December 27, 2019

On Christmas Day, our son and I went to visit my husband. We brought a package for him to open, and he seemed to be enjoying the feel of the glossy paper rather than the contents of the box. The thought occurred to me that I should bring gift-wrapped boxes for him to handle more often.

I don't know if it was the extra company, or the box, or my smiles, but my husband was much more responsive than he usually is. He even spoke a word here and there ("yes," "no," etc). This pleased our son enormously, and he remarked that his dad looked so much better than he had looked the last time he visited.

Today, though, my husband didn't say anything and didn't look at me when I spoke to him. He didn't seem to want to walk around. He did hold my hand tightly, put his head on my shoulder, and fall asleep for a few minutes as I sang to him softly. That's all within the "normal" range of things, generally speaking.

As I was about to leave, I showered him with kisses and sweet nothings as I tend to do, and I said (as always), "I love you." He whispered, "Yes, I do," and gently leaned his forehead against mine.

Friends, I know he loves me. I know, deep down, he appreciates all I'm doing to ensure his welfare and comfort and peace. I know, somewhere in there, he's grateful I'm taking care of all his affairs, and he doesn't have to worry about a thing. But hearing him say "Yes, I do," an actual, three-word sentence conveying much more meaning than the three words involved, well, I can't even describe what that did for me emotionally. Nor can I tell you how encouraging it was.

You might think I'm reading too much into it, and maybe I am. It's possible I'm grasping at straws, but I don't think so. And even if I am, so what?


December 30 - I often sing "I Love You," by The Zombies, to him. In retrospect, it occurred to me today that perhaps he was completing the lyric (I love you, I love you, I love you, yes, I do), though he hasn't done that before. But whether or not that's the case, his meaning was clear to me. I'll take it!