It seems that as a society we are infatuated with the romance stories of young couples. Young love is overly emphasized. Or maybe I’m just more aware of it, having a 14-year-old hopeless romantic daughter.

One Does Not Fall In Love,

Many of us adore the pictures on Pinterest of the emotional groom as he sees his young, beautiful bride for the first time.

We flock to movies that feature young people discovering their unlikely soul mates.

Amorous young couples place locks on bridges and throw the key into the river below to symbolize a love that will last forever.

Many couples keep their own wedding pictures atop a bedroom dresser as a reminder of their own special falling in love and getting married story.

All sincere and true love is wonderful and beautiful, of course. Yet, if you think about it, why do we excessively revere and elevate a love that is in no way as developed and mature as that of a couple that has endured the tests of time and weathered the inevitable challenges that most young lovers have yet to face?   I wonder how often we consider what love will look like when we’re old, wrinkled, and well past our youth?

One Grows Into Love,

We certainly don’t see too many movies featuring old people whose love has grown deep through the test of time, yet is as tender as the day it first began to bloom.

Recently I was in my hometown for its annual Swiss heritage festival.  What would a Swiss heritage festival be without a polka band anyways?  So, while we sat under the tent and enjoyed the music and festive atmosphere,  a very old couple slowly made their way out to the dance floor.  She had left her cane propped against a chair as he held her hand and led her onto the dance floor.

And Love Grows In Him or Her*

It was a scene beyond touching.  It was profound, sacred, and beautiful. There they were, out there on the dance floor, clearly as thrilled with being together as though they were 16 years old at their first high school dance. My daughter was the one who first noticed the couple and pointed them out to me as she held her other hand over her heart as if she were slain.

I think nearly every eye in the audience was tuned into them as they danced in one another’s arms, oblivious to the benevolent gazes of the crowd.   I know there were some eyes that weren’t so dry.

It just so happened that we left soon after they did.  I didn’t even realize it initially, but we were following this couple in the direction of their parked car.

About to pass by them on the sidewalk, I came up beside them and expressed how beautiful it was to watch them dance.  “I hope my own marriage is as vibrant as yours when I am your age”, I reflected.  They both smiled.

“He’s 89, and I’m 87”, she said pointing to her dance partner.  “We’ve been married for 67 years.”  They both beamed as she shared this with me. I asked if I could capture a picture of them.

I wished them many more wonderful years together as we departed.  These two have a gift to offer the world. They give all of us a picture of a love that is young, yet old in its depth and seasoning, all wrapped up in one timeless bundle.  Now, that’s something worth elevating.

*Quote by Karl Menninger