With his right hand leaning on his walking cane and his left hand holding his wife’s hand, he turned to me with tears in his eyes and said with a shaky voice – “would it be ok to bend over and kiss her?”

I answered, “Absolutely!”

Forty-two years ago this gentleman had stood before his wife, a minister, and a small crowd of people and verbally spoke a vow to love his wife “for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, for better or worse.”

Loving your wife is what the Bible says Husbands are supposed to do (Ephesians 5:25).

Today I was the minister at her funeral. This was a funeral I was called to do without knowing the family. For the record, I did not know a single person in the entire chapel. But that did not at all keep God from blessing me so greatly.

The dear lady that passed away was 65 years old and had been married to her husband for 42 years. He got choked up speaking with me about his wife prior to the service. I could sense then that he really loved her.

We live in a day when deeply loving your wife and expressing it is rare. So when I get a chance to observe it, I really watch and learn. I have only been married 7 years. But I love Valeria, and I often tell her that I cannot wait until we are 70 together. I love her so much now and can hardly imagine how deep our love will be then after 45 years together.

But today as the funeral service concluded and the congregation filed out, I was eager to see how this faithful & simple husband would handle saying his “final words” to his wife before the casket was closed.

I was so impacted.

He slowly walked to the casket all by himself. With his right hand he was gripping his walking cane and with his left hand he reached down and grabbed his deceased wife’s hand (like he had done that countless times before). It was then with tears in his eyes, he turned to me and asked “Would it be ok to bend over and kiss her?” My eyes immediately teared up. I quickly responded “Absolutely.”

The gentleman bent over, kissed his bride, and then wept as he slowly exited the chapel.

He loved her! He loved his wife. That is what he was supposed to do. That is what he had vowed to do 42 years ago. And that is what he did. Even as she lay there in the casket with a few people standing around, as a farewell, he wanted to kiss her. awesome!

That moment blessed me so very much today.

As I got in my car to drive to the cemetery, I sent this text to my wife Valeria:

“mi amor, Vale,  I love you so very much. Im yours forever. I mean it. Im never letting go. You are so so so special to me.”