No Quitter

No Quitter

I will tell of the LORD’s unfailing love.I will praise the LORD for all he has done.

Isaiah 63:7

My great-aunt May was in her late eighties when her husband, my uncle Frank, died. And because they had no children, she had to move into a nursing home for her remaining years.

Aunt May was no quitter. She never quit on my uncle Frank, even when he was ill for several years before he died. And she did not quit on life when she moved into the nursing home. She was always happy and laughing when I went to see her. I would stop in, thinking I would cheer her up, but I always came away encouraged myself.

After a few months in the nursing home, Aunt May and an elderly gentleman there became interested in each other. And at ages ninety and eighty-eight, they decided to get married. They held the ceremony in the large living room of the nursing home, and my preacher dad performed the wedding. It was a happy time for everyone, especially Aunt May.

Since Aunt May and her new husband had separate rooms, the director of the nursing home decided something should be done about that. So to celebrate their marriage, the director hired some workers to take out the wall between the two rooms, creating one large suite for the two of them.

Somehow the local newspaper found out about the event, and on the following Sunday a large photo of Aunt May and my new uncle in their suite appeared on its front page. They were both grinning, as my dad would say, “like a mule eating briars.”

Father, thank you for your unfailing love. I am so grateful that love is ageless. I pray that I will emulate your sweet love to others. Amen.