Uncle George and true love

It’s just an old-fashioned love story

ON a recent trip back to my hometown, I happened to meet an elderly gentleman, whom we fondly call Uncle George. I knew him when I was a schoolboy but I had not seen him for many years since.

His greatest trait was his perpetual cheerfulness. As a matter of fact, we never saw him angry or sad. Because of this, he was well liked by all, especially children.
He now lives alone with his wife, Grace, and spends all his time taking care of her, because an accident left her sickly and disabled. He cycles several kilometres a day to get food for himself and his wife.

I greeted him and invited him to join my wife and me for breakfast. His meal cost me just RM2.20.

As we ate, we chatted about old times, which brought pleasant memories. He told us about his family and his wife.

We listened patiently as he related how he cared for her and the problems he encountered. We wished him well and left.

A week later I was surprised to receive a letter from him praising my wife and I, praises that we don’t really deserve.

The following paragraphs from his letter really touched us:

“Aunty Grace is not so good in health, she sleeps all the time. I am so frightened she will go off in sleep for good. Hardly do we have any visitors.
“This year I am 86 and my wife is 82. If we can live till Dec 28, we will be married for 60 years and we can celebrate our diamond jubilee.
“Yes, doctor, true love begins when we grow old; I think I love my wife more now than I first met her.
“But soon we will have to part.”

A mere two ringgit, a few encouraging words and the willingness to listen was all that was needed to touch a life in the form of Uncle George.

In return he gave us something which wealth cannot buy – his invaluable experience of true love.

His experience is a reminder to us that love, contrary to what we think, never fades, it only grows with time.

It also reinforces the fact that there are still a lot of good things in life that cannot be obtained with money and power – and that is God's greatest gift to us.

Dr Chris Anthony