None of us knew this would be the last time Mom and Dad were together.

Mom had been sick for years and Dad her sole caretaker for the last two. He was still working his full-time job out of his home office when he started feeling abnormally tired in the spring of 2014.

Mom hadn’t been out of the house for months…..except for an emergency room visit the month before. But she mustered up enough energy to go to the hospital to see Dad. He was in the intensive care unit. The visit from Mom was a surprise to Dad and the oxygen mask couldn’t hide the big smile on his face when he saw Mom.

They reached for each other and held each other’s hands. They told each other “I love you” and stared at each other. Squeezed and patted each others’ hands.

Those of us in the room felt the sacredness of the moment. I think they knew this was the last time.

The last time they’d hold hands. The last “I love you”. The last time they’d see each other.

In response to The Daily Post’s weekly photo challenge: “Connected.” and One Love.

You can read more of Mom’s and Dad’s story here.