True Love

I saw true love on Sunday. I saw something that no "chick-flick" could compete with. The only comparable film would be Up. I don't know if the people I am writing about would allow me to use their names, so I will refer to them as Carl and Ellie Fredrickson.

There are a few people in my ward who are unable to come to church. One of the duties of the priest is to bring the sacrament to those people. Out of the two houses we regularly visit, I enjoy going to the Fredrickson's house best. The couple met in college and got married. Carl is so dorky and has the funniest laugh. Although I've never seen Ellie move more than the length of her hallway, I have heard many stories which proved that she is equivalent to her Up counterpart. She was very energetic and had amazing musical talents. She also loved to dance. Ellie is now unable to come to church.

She usually has the strength to leave her hospital-like room to take the sacrament in the living room. This last Sunday she was not at her best. We did the sacrament in her room. For several years, her bed has been a hospital bed. As she raised the head of her bed, I saw the smile that always greeted us upon seeing her. Although I have been to her house dozens of times, I had never seen her show the pain I'm sure she's in.

In my Fredrickson's home, I very often seen a picture of Carl on his wedding day. I always think of this picture.

After the sacrament and a brief discussion of our plans for the week, we left her room. As we left, Carl lingered behind, looking at the woman he had married so many years before. I saw something in the way he looked at her. **Side note: From what I have seen of Carl, I can imagine he spends more time taking care of his wife than himself. He always has the sacrament table in pristine condition. He never takes longer than 10 seconds to answer the door and always seems to be in a chipper mood.** The look in Carl's eyes was the look I'm sure was in his eyes when he looked at his new bride. What I saw in his eyes was complete devotion. The look in his eyes was reflected completely in the way his wife looked at him. The look they shared was the look of true love.

If you imagined this were her room, you'd be pretty dead-on to the real deal.

I hope the love I saw for a few seconds will be the love I share with my wife for eternity. I hope that I can look at my wife after years of trials and blessings and convey the insignificance of everything compared to her. True love isn't some Hollywood made guy telling his amnesiac wife that they're married. True love is complete devotion. True love is complete fidelity. True love is as simple as a look.