giggles.

For a class I'm taking, I have to summarize my family's cultural heritage.  In my case, this involved going through compilations of family histories on both sides of the family.  Fortunately, someone else did all of the research, I just have to pull out the details relevant to the paper I am writing.

As I read through the short narratives included in the Johnson family history (my mom's side), I came across this little gem, written by my mom's cousin about my grandparents:

"When Aunt Vivian and Uncle Art were scheduled to come out and stay for a few days, I was so excited.  When they got here, I saw that they still held hands and, bless her heart, Aunt Vivian still giggles like a schoolgirl when he walks in the room.  Such devotion after 54 years of marriage is amazing.  They are truly blessed."

If that's not the sweetest thing you've ever read, I don't know what is!  This is the kind of love and marriage that is real, the kind that pushes through hardship, the kind that lasts now 60 years.  My goodness, it's the kind of love and joy that, more than anything, I want to find.

As Grandma and Grandpa's lives have changed so very much in the last seven months, it hurts a little bit to look back at what they once were and what they are now.  While Grandma still giggles and Grandpa still flirts, age has physically and mentally worn them both down.  Time has taken its toll, and there is no reversing the damage.

I have no easy way of wrapping this up, as there is not much to say.  Let's leave it at this:  To see someone age is really hard