By Maya Buchanan, lifestyle director for Clearwater at Rancharrah.
Valentine’s Day … it’s not just for romance.
When we think of love stories, what usually comes to mind, particularly around February, is a romantic love, with thoughts of passion, memories of dancing cheek-to-cheek while being swept away in the sweet intoxication of that special partner who completes us.
But there are many other kinds of love relationships …
- A parent and child
- Siblings
- Grandparents and grandchildren
- Best friends
- Even neighbors
All of these relationships play an important role in who we are.
As We Age
As we age, one of the deeply painful, hard realities is the loss of our romantic partner, after which these types of love become even more crucial to our happiness and feeling of security.
One of those special relationships is taking place right here at Clearwater at Rancharrah, in the form of mother and daughter.
Rosemary and Dick
Rosemary and her husband, Dick, were already living in our community when Rosemary’s mother, Ruth, moved into her own apartment. It’s not very common to see this in an assisted living community, but Ruth, who is a “young” 100-year-old, was a great addition to the neighborhood!
There was so much beauty in the reuniting of two generations back under the same roof, meeting up for dinner or enjoying special events and activities together. A relationship that brings to life coming full circle.
More Loss
The importance of these relationships became even more apparent when a few months ago, Rosemary lost her loving husband, Dick. The love between a parent and child doesn’t diminish with age. This centenarian, along with family and neighbors, stood together to offer love and support during this hardest of times for Rosemary and all who knew her and Dick.
When we think about Valentine’s Day, it is mostly in the context of head-over-heels young love, but true, enduring love is like Rosemary; her husband, Dick; and her mother, Ruth. These are the relationships that we can all celebrate.
Cheers to love!
