[always2late]

I wrote this story in another thread..I think the thread was about what love looks like, or something along those lines. I think it can apply here to devotion as well.

Several years ago I worked on an Alzheimer/Dementia unit. One of my elderly patients was in the end stage of dementia, mentally she was completely gone, and she required total care. Her husband, Mr. C, would come to see her every day. He would arrive early in the morning to feed her breakfast and help get her ready for the day. He would sit with her, talk to her, read to her, wheel her around the facility and outside when the weather was good. After feeding her lunch, he would leave for about an hour to go home and eat...and then he would return and only leave again when she was put to bed. He would do this EVERY day. Keep in mind, his wife did not recognize him, or respond to him...mentally she was just not there. He and I used to talk and he told me the story of how they met...it was at a navy dance when they were both in their late teens...they met in January, he married her that June, and they were together since that time. One day, we had a blizzard, and a state of emergency was declared. Of course, I still had to go to work, but the police were actually stopping "unessential" cars on the road. I was sitting behind the nurse's station when Mr. C walked in...I could not believe it. I said "Mr. C...you shouldn't be out in this weather! What are you doing here??" He smiled and replied "Well, I couldn't just leave my girl alone, could I?"

To me...that is not just love, that is devotion. Love can be a bit selfish sometimes. We enjoy love, not just because of the way we feel about someone, but also because of how they make US feel and how they feel about us. Love is best when it is reciprocal. However, devotion is something different. It is giving even when there is no hope of return, remaining constant when there is nothing to gain. It's putting the happiness of someone else above your own, doing without being told, giving without being asked.

I've had love in my life...several times. I think we've all had love, been loved, given love and received it. I think in this life, we love and are loved many times...but true devotion...I think if we are lucky enough to find that, it only comes around once in a lifetime.