Recently, a friend shared something with me that quietly broke my heart for him.
His wife has advanced Alzheimer’s. She lives in a care community now. She no longer recognizes him. Their conversations are brief. Sometimes she smiles at him the way she might smile at any kind visitor. Their shared jokes, their history, those knowing glances across a room — those things are gone.
And yet, he still visits. Still pays the bills. Still advocates for her care.
He is, in every way, a devoted husband.
He’s also lonely.