Illness has taken away his wit and charm, but I’ve never loved my husband more

“What I loved about Mark was that he was friendly, funny, light-hearted, clever and passionate about many interesting things. He could give the same lectures at his workplace with an enthusiasm that hid the fact that he had given them innumerable times before. He was also an enthusiastic convert to Catholicism, after a life serving God as a traditionalist Anglican, and he loved and feared God. Everyone I met in his Scottish hometown liked him. Meanwhile, I was attracted to his slim frame and big blue eyes. And he seemed to be highly attracted to me, which was a mercy, as I fell in love with him within 36 hours or so of meeting him in person.

Now many of these desirable qualities have been stripped away: for how long, nobody knows. Mark hides in his bedroom away from concerned friends and colleagues. He is usually sad and often confused. His eyesight is so damaged, he can’t read, and so he listens to the radio all day. At his most lucid, he complains. Heaven only knows when he’ll be fit to work again.

. . .But I will tell you something: he’s got his rosary in bed with him, and he tells me over and over again that he loves me. And I love him more than I have since the first flush of newlywed enthusiasm. I married Mark because he was clever, funny and good. Clever and funny have been taken away for now, but good is left. And good is enough.”

To read the full article on Life Site, click here.