When you're walking down that aisle or standing at the alter anxiously awaiting to be lawfully wedded to your beloved, do you ever stop and think about what it is exactly that you're getting yourself into? Is it just me or is getting married not the most sacred, ultimate union you can make with another person? I say it is. Take a look at what has been recognized as a traditional wedding vow:
I, (name), take you (name), to be my (wife/husband), to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from this day forward until death do us part.
We all know that things have changed drastically since the days of long time ago where a man and a woman would get married, grow old together, and when that time came they would die together (if not literally, at least legally). Yet in this very controversial article, the traditional values of getting married and living together "in sickness and in health" are being challenged. The article puts the spotlight on a religious broadcaster, Pat Robertson, who publicly advises divorcing a spouse that lives with Alzheimer's disease. Not only does this change how we were meant to feel about marriage, but it also sends out a very wrong message as to how we should deal with a loved one suffering from this disease.
Having experienced living with a loved one who has Alzheimer's disease, I know first hand that it can become one of the most challenging things to deal with. Watching my granddad's mind literally deteriorate over a course of 3 years, it has become so hard to accept that he's no longer the man we grew to love. Everyday is a struggle just to make it through. I don't even see the same person when I look into his eyes, yet as his family we have to know and believe that the sweet and loving granddad we've always loved and cherished is in there somewhere.
If you knew my granddad now, you would know that every morning he wakes up and rambles through the house looking for something that he claims someone has stolen from him, whether it be a bag of cashews or an old dirty sock he can't find. You'd know that he doesn't remember any of his children or grandchildren's names, or that we are even kin. Everyday he misplaces something or gets lost somewhere and we all have to work really hard to get him to settle down. But one thing, one very important thing my grandfather hasn't forgotten about is my grandmother, his wife of 48 long years. To this day, she is the only person that he can fully remember including her birthday, their anniversary, their first car, her favorite snacks, her favorite tv station, and almost everything else about her and the things they've had together.
Even though, at times, he can be a bit difficult for even her too, I know that she could never leave him. And I know that anyone dealing with a loved one with Alzheimer's disease should do nothing more but shower them with the warmth of love, the same love that at one point they gave to you.
