{Love} An Unplanned Date

By: Taylor Fast

I feel like the first Valentines Day a married couple is special in this cheesy-romantic way.  For my husband and I, we were celebrating 5 months of being married!  My husband is not huge on Valentines Day, but he knows that any event that I can decorate for, I’m going to be excited about.

This Valentines Day was nowhere close to being the romantic day I had imagined, but I never felt more loved and cared for by my husband during that day.  So you are most likely wondering how that is possible?

The week before Valentines Day, my family and I were working through the idea that someone we loved was having some extreme health issues.  This someone was my brother, who already battles Cystic Fibrosis.  We had all taken turns going back and forth to the London hospital as doctors and nurses were trying to figure out what was going on.  One evening as we got home from work we received a call that my brother might have cancer, but that it was a slim chance.  My thoughts stayed positive as colon and bladder cancer were not something in our family, and my brother is so young.

The next morning we received a call saying that my brother did have cancer.  The thoughts, emotions, and questions came rushing to our heads, as we never thought this would be a journey for my brother to go through.  This all happened on Valentines weekend, as we prepped for the day after Valentines to be my brother’s surgery day to attempt to get rid of all the cancer.

Valentines morning, the day before the surgery, my husband and I woke up in worry and wonder for what tomorrow will hold.  We prayed constantly and I cried endlessly.  This is not sounding romantic at all, is it?  You’re totally right- we swapped gifts that morning and had a nice breakfast together, but the rest of the day was spent with family prepping for surgery the next day.  My husband showed me how much he cared for not just me, but my family.  The love continued as even my husband’s family members sent their love and prayers towards my brother.  Was this day the romantic one I wanted?  No way, but I have never felt more loved, cared for, and supported by this man of God- my amazing husband.

Marriage isn’t easy, but I could tell you that we have been tested plenty of times, and our love for each other never fails, just like God’s love for us.

Looking back now to the surgery day and the days to follow, my husband has stayed by my side and has sent so much support to my brother and I am so thankful for that.  As we wait now to see if my brother is 100% cancer free, my husband, his family, and my family have never been stronger.  Love trumps all, even cancer.

“Above all, love each other deeply, as love covers over a multitude of sins.”  1 Peter 4:8

Until Next Time,

~Taylor