Agatha thinks she is going for a walk, and she is, but there is a surprise waiting for her. On good days, she recognizes Jim. Today is a good day.

Her eyes light up with recognition. Her smile stretches across her face. As he walks toward her, she watches his every move. Before he sits beside her, he leans over to whisper how beautiful she looks. She holds his face in her hands, and whispers back, “My love, it is so good to see you.”

Agatha was a young bride from Germany. Jim was a G.I. fighting Germany in World War II. He lived out in the country. She was queen of the country club. But once upon a time, they fell in love.

They are lucky enough to have fallen in love a second time. After their first spouses passed away, the two corresponded and eventually agreed to meet.

Jim tells a love story, never taking his eyes off of his bride. Twenty years fall away from Jim’s face as he says he knew from the moment he saw her, she was the one.

One cannot watch such a scene and not be touched. It’s tangible. It doesn’t matter that Agatha holds on to too few memories these days, it is that she remembers what is essential. She lives in the happiest of places where she is adored and content. Jim’s body doesn’t work well anymore, but his mind is sharp. Agatha’s body works fine, but her memories are fading.

They fit together well, like missing pieces that have found their whole.

At Four Winds Community, nurses witness this unfolding love story. They arrange Jim and Agatha’s date night, an intimate dinner enjoyed in the chapel. They listen as Jim sings to Agatha. The two dance to their own soundtrack.

This is a love story, and yet so much more. This is passion and compassion, bringing more care to caregiving. What’s being shared here is extraordinary—spouses who love one another, fully enjoying each other’s company. It’s yet another example of how United Church Homes promotes life that is full and rich.