True love really does exist, as evidenced in a photo recently posted to Love What Matter's Facebook page.
The poster spotted an elderly couple while eating out at a Wendy's and, what originally looked like a simple date night turned out to be so much more.
"As I was sitting eating my double cheeseburger at Wendy's, I glanced over at this older couple, and thought 'That's sweet' and continued with my meal," the poster wrote. "But when I looked again, in between bites, I saw this gentleman feeding his wife. My whole life I've yearned for a love that strong."
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But the story doesn't stop there.
"The gentleman got up from his seat to throw his food away and I couldn't resist asking how long he and his wife had been married. He looked at me and asked me to guess his age but not to guess too low. After a few guesses he told me he was 96 and his wife is 93 who is suffering from Alzheimer's. This is their date night."
The story is sweet in and of itself, but takes on a whole other level of love story knowing that this man's wife has Alzheimer's disease. Alzheimer's is a devastating disease and takes a huge toll on caregivers as well as patients. Being a caregiver is demanding and stressful and emotional, especially for family members who decide to care for their loved ones, according to the National Institutes on Aging.
Even if this man isn't caring for his wife 24/7, taking her out for a regular date night is a sweet, loving gesture that certainly hasn't gone unnoticed.
If the couple makes it to June, the poster wrote, they will have been married for 75 years.
"Getting all the way to the end of the line with the person you started out with is one of the most glorious things on the face of this earth," the poster wrote. "Could a couple be more blessed than to have that happen? To share a deep love and bond that only grows as we age, that is a beautiful thing."