Guest post by Katy Gloudemans

In the quiet of the hospital room, my father’s voice resonated, leading our family through the rosary. He sat by my mother’s bedside, tightly gripping her hand along with his rosary—a lifeline to his unyielding faith.

Suddenly, the prayers ceased. I gazed at dad, and time hung in suspension. “Dad, are you all right?” No response.

Chaos erupted in the urgency of commands and the frantic dance of nurses. “Can you stand up?” Silence again.

Everything changed that day, a day that began with beautiful family prayer. A stroke altered the course of our lives. How could we bring mom home to face her last moments without dad? He would not allow it.

Days blurred into nights, and Dad, once an unwavering pillar of strength, lay weakened. Speech, comprehension, functionality—all swept away by an overwhelming tide of despair.

The hospital, a silent witness to our shared tragedy, orchestrated an arrangement—side by side, in twin hospital beds. Dad, frail yet adamant, clasped Mom’s hand as she took her final journey home.

Sometimes life deviates from our plans, a reminder that it was never really our plan to begin with.

Because there in that room, we all witnessed what commitment and forever really means. The vows my parents took over forty-five years earlier rang through the silence:

I promise to be true to you in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health. I will love you and honor you all the days of my life.

 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
1 Corinthians 13:7 ESV

Katy Gloudemans grew up in Little Chute, Wisconsin. Married forty years to her high school sweetheart, her family has grown to include three married children and eight perfect grandchildren. Aside from amateur writing, Katy enjoys walking, traveling, thrifting, decorating, and spending time with family. Katy is a fierce autism ally, and you can find her on Instagram.

Tracy Crump dispenses hope in her award-winning book, Health, Healing, and Wholeness: Devotions of Hope in the Midst of Illness (CrossLink Publishing, 2021). A former intensive care nurse, she cared for her parents and her mother-in-law and understands both the burdens and joys of caregiving. Her devotions have been featured in Guideposts books, The Upper Room, and many other publications, and she has contributed 22 stories to Chicken Soup for the Soul® books. She also conducts writing workshops, edits a newsletter for writers, and does freelance editing. But her most important job is Grandma to five completely unspoiled grandchildren.