Old. Wrinkled. Happy. Together.

I've long had a sweet spot in my heart for elderly couples. I love spying them shopping together in the grocery store. Sometimes slow. Sometimes using the cart for balance. But together. It always occurs to me that it likely hasn't always been this way. There was probably a time she went shopping all alone...or with a bunch of kids hanging off the cart. But times and seasons changed. And here he was accompanying her, picking out the same cereal they'd been buying for years without uttering a single word.

Let's keep it real, though. I've been shopping other times and seen similar-aged couples in a very different place. Impatient, angry words. Nit-picking. Put-downs. Being together for a long time doesn't always indicate growing up and growing in grace toward one another. It's not necessarily indicative of a mature, committed love. And that's a bold reminder for me, too. It's not enough to simply kick through and hope for the best. As couples, we need to be ever-growing in humility and grace. We need to ask forgiveness and forgive. We need to give and serve and love with everything we've got.

My favorite thing is seeing an elderly couple holding hands. There really isn't anything like it. I know everybody has a different story, and some of them met and married later in life. But I'm moved as I see this outward, visible show of their love, even after all those years. I always think of all that's passed between them. All they've shared and endured. Whenever I see an older couple holding hands, I whisper to my husband, "That's gonna be us." It's good to have goals.

We recently learned from one of our elderly friends that his beautiful wife of nearly 60 years was diagnosed with inoperable cancer. She's chosen not to go the route of radiation or chemotherapy. In her words, she's had "a good, long life." Still, it makes my heart hurt. I think about all that they've walked through together over these years. Child-bearing. Child-raising. Child-releasing. Employment. Retirement. Joyful times. Hard times. Good times.

And I'm reminded of Mark Schultz's song, "Walking Her Home." While the song causes my heart to both smile and ache, I'm reminded of the older couples before us who are setting the pace and showing us what it is to remain faithful and committed for a lifetime. And I pray that through all the seasons of life, our love is an echo of Christ's love.