Now that I’m older and wiser, I firmly believe that after all is said and done, we will be remembered for our attitude toward others. As part of our humanitarian duties, my wife and I often visit nursing homes to let the elderly know that they are not forgotten.

Many years ago, while we were visiting a nursing home in Griffin, Georgia, I had the good pleasure of meeting a wonderful ninety-two year old lady. I stopped by her room just to say hello. She graciously invited me in and offered me a chair. I took a seat and could tell by the look on her face that she was excited about having a new visitor for a little while. We began our conversation.

We talked about everything – where she was born, where she lived, where she had traveled, what she liked, what she disliked; this went on for about thirty minutes or so. She then informed me that she had been married for fifty-three years before her husband passed away. Her husband’s death was so emotionally devastating, she could no longer live alone. That’s what brought her to the nursing home in Griffin, Georgia.

I was impressed with the number of years she had been married. At that time, I had only been married to Jacqueline for about five years.

I then inquired, “Ma’am, after fifty-three years of marriage, what do you remember the most about your husband?” As she contemplated my question, I noticed a faint smile beginning to show on her small face and there was a little twinkle in her eyes.

She took a deep breath as if she was longing for the love she had lost, and replied in a soft and sincere voice, “What I remember the most about my husband is his goodness and his kindness.”

I was touched by her response. After fifty-three years of marriage, she didn’t reflect on the kind of clothes her husband wore, the car he drove, the home they lived in, the amount of money he had or where he worked. After fifty-three years of marriage, what she remembered the most about her husband, as a ninety-two year old lady in that nursing home was…his goodness…and…his kindness.