So my folks shared my blog entry “What my grandparents taught me about marriage” with my grandmother. She gave me a call yesterday and was crying her heart out. In between sobs, she shared more stories on how she felt an overwhelming love from my grandpa when he was still alive.
How he would be away for days at a time during his military days, then call her to tell her he’d be coming home earlier than expected because he misses her. How we would tell her to take a leave of absence because he wanted her to be home when he’d arrive. How he always took such good care of her, and how he made her so happy everyday.
And now, how she wishes she had told him she loved him more than he loved her. How she kisses his picture every morning and every evening. How she doesn’t know till now why he loved her so intensely. How she longs to be with him again because she feels so lonely everyday.
Today, hug your partner for no special reason. Do something out of your way to make him/her smile. Say “I love you”. Hold hands. Embrace. Share flirtatious jokes. Express your fondness. Hey, get frisky. Sit back and watch the stars together. Sit back and do nothing together.
My grandma shared that the deep love she felt for my grandfather further intensified when he passed away. So what a revelation that she wished she could have loved him even more. I guess you can’t ever love someone just right or just enough. Maybe that’s because love always keeps on giving, love always keeps on living through different ways — faded pictures alive with memories, love stories passed on.
I hope the lessons they have taught me about marriage inspires you too.
Hi! I'm Toni Tiu,
and I've been blogging at
at Wifely Steps since 2003. This started as a blog to help newly weds adjust to married life. It has evolved into a home and parenting blog. I write about things close to my heart -- good eats, good reads, family, marriage, and the little things that make everyday happy.
Hana
August 15, 2011 at 11:30 am (13 years ago)thank you for this post. my dad and i lost my mother to cancer last month. with her passing, we learned to be more open with each other and to never forget to say “i love you” at the end of every conversation. although she is gone, i know that my dad will continue to love my mom with all his heart. thank you again.
Em
August 15, 2011 at 2:48 pm (13 years ago)Aww..this made me cry.
I remember my lola telling me about a month ago that she can’t remember where has my lolo been for the past few years. All she could remember was she asked him to buy something from the market but he never came back. She said that she never did anything wrong for him to leave her. They were a happy couple too. Apparently, my lolo has been dead for 12years already. =(
ella
August 15, 2011 at 3:59 pm (13 years ago)You made me cry…again…my grandparents share a very similar story, I always feel that love like theirs is so hard to come by and they have taught me so much about relationships, more than any book or movie that means to do so.
sheng
August 16, 2011 at 6:55 am (13 years ago)Awwww, I so miss my grandmother and granddad now. They passed away when I was in my high school. But they were there for me since birth. I love them so much and miss them terribly now because of this post.