The Kiss
Have you ever thought about how ridiculous it is that every movie has to have a kissing scene in it. Really, think about it. In an action movie, cars are crashing. Buildings are being blown up. The dirty sweaty hero has to take time to kiss a dirty sweaty girl. In a war movie, bombs are falling. Bridges are being blown up. Yet, the wounded soldier finds time to kiss a local lady. It is not realistic at all.
A while back I witnessed one of the most romantic kisses I have ever seen. It was not like one of those fake kisses in the silly movies. It was the real deal.
Of course, we have all heard the fairy tales about Snow White, Cinderella, and Beauty and the Beast. Little girls grow up dreaming about being the beautiful princess. They dream of a handsome prince finally gathering her in his arms and gently kissing her. Then lifting her onto his white horse they ride to the palace where they live happily ever after. But those fairy tale smooches can never match the kiss I saw that day.
I have officiated at many weddings and told many grooms that they can kiss their brides. Those kisses are always special. However, they do not compare to the taste of sugar that I saw this groom get that day.
Let me describe what I saw that. This bride, the beautiful princess was an elderly woman in a wheel chair. She suffered from dementia and was fading fast. Her groom, the handsome prince was frail with age and cancer would soon end his time on earth.
Their daughter had brought the hero to visit his fair maid in the nursing home. As time came for them to go, she said “Daddy let me get things fixed so you can get some sugar before we go”.
I watched as she worked to position her mother’s wheelchair just right. Then she turned and helped her daddy stand up and grip his walker. It took a few seconds to get him in position because he was unsteady and could not afford to fall.
Then it happened. With one hand firmly gripping the walker the groom placed his other hand on her shoulder and he bent down and firmly planted a beautiful kiss right on his bride’s mouth.
Let me tell you, this was no dry brushing of the lips. This was a real kiss; I heard the wet smack and I thought to myself “this man knows how to kiss!” Then I heard him say very softly to his wife, “I love you”.
In the late stage of dementia this precious lady may not have known what was going on but her good man did. Even if she could not answer him, his love for her was everlasting.
As I watched all this happen, I was reminded that yes fairytales do come true and the prince and princess will live happily ever after. After all the bible tell us that we have these three things; Faith, hope and love and the greatest of these is love. Love is patient, love is kind and love never fails.
“Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.
But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away.
When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known. And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”
I Corinthians 13:4-13 NKJV
https://bible.com/bible/114/1co.13.5-13.NKJV
Douglas & Deborah Huff
Down Where the Pavement Ends
email:pavementendsministry@gmail.com
Please help my daughter publish and promote her new book: visit her website at kateoliviahuff.com
