Father of the Bride

My husband Glynne is a 60-year-old man with Lewy Body Dementia, he was diagnosed 4 years ago; he first showed signs when he was 53. His disease has progressed signicantly in the past few years and, unfortunately, he is no longer able to speak, feed himself or care for himself in any way.

Due to the high level of care he requires and because he becomes fatigued very easily, he could not attend our daughter’s wedding. Our hospice Chaplain and Music Therapist, helped facilitate a special ceremony at our home so that Glynne could witness our daughter walking down to her future husband, have the opportunity to give her away, and be present for her vows to her husband.

A small group of close friends and family gathered in our outdoor courtyard for the ceremony. When our daughter walked out, our caregiver and myself lifted him out of his seat to stand up and hug his little girl. Though most of the ceremony, Glynne’s eyes were shut. His eyes were wide open when he hugged our daughter and he held very tight to her–who began to cry along with everyone else present. He held on so tightly that when it came time for him to give his daughter away, he held even tighter and resisted the prompts to sit down. He didn’t want to let his little girl go. It was a beautiful moment full of deep love, the kind of love a father of the bride exudes on his daughter’s wedding day.

I am so thankful we have such caring people at our hospice that could make this happen, not only for my husband but also my daughter, who loves her father and had been so upset that he was not going to walk her down the aisle. This was truly a gift. I’ve thought about this day for two weeks now and realize his awareness during that hug was what some call a 'Treasure in the Darkness'.