Sometimes a “beautiful display of love” could be right under your nose.
Pastor Brent Kelley of Nashville, Tn., posted a photo on his Facebook page that has captured the hearts of social media users worldwide, the Daily Mail reports.
On Monday, after stopping for ice cream with his children at a local Sonic, the 34-year-old dad snapped a photo of an elderly man spoon feeding ice cream to his wife in a car.
“So today, I took the kids to the pool and we stopped for ice cream on the way home. When I got my ice cream and pulled out, I realized that this elderly man beside me was sitting out side his car door, spoon feeding his wife ice cream who also looked in her late eighties,” Kelley wrote on the social media site. “He draped a towel over her and slowly fed his bride in the 98 degree temperature. It was a beautiful display of love.”
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In the picture, which is not fully visible to social media users, shows an elderly man sitting on the edge of a car, feeding someone in the passenger seat a spoon of ice cream.
Social media users react
With more than 290,000 shares and 707,000 likes in just two days, people are calling out the man’s act of kindness, as well as this couple’s love.
“When I worked in a nursing home I met so many amazing couples. They’d be there for every meal, rain, snow, and sunshine. You could just feel the love. It was such a humbling experience,” user Adele Fillman-Bihr wrote.
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“That’s love! Not just a fleeting emotion, but action!” user Robin Harkey Bratton wrote.
“I understand their relationship and was blessed to have a relationship just like that. Words can’t describe,” user Don Kohler wrote.
Others shared their own love stories.
“Marriage is hard. It takes lots of work on both sides. We have been married 53 years and I don’t regret the work we have put into it. It has been so worth it,” user Ann Rice wrote.
“Brought me to tears. Men like this hardly exist anymore. I’m lucky I have a wonderful husband like this man bless them both,” user Karin McAnerney wrote.
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How to make love last
And although this viral story makes love look easy, any expert will tell you that marriage (and relationships in general), only work with communication and patience.
Toronto Dating coach and matchmaker Christina Jay says love like this can exist, but it is rare in this day and age.
“I think it is possible for people to live like this and it’s a good thing to see to motivate others to find the same love,” she tells Global News. “They’re good role models.”
But making a love last is easier said than done, especially living in a generation where dating multiple people is completely normal, and people can jump from relationship to relationship if they are bored.
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To make things last longer, Jay says the most important thing to do is to avoid comparing your relationship to others on social media.
“Be loving to each other,” she says. “And don’t look to others on social media and what’s normal for them.”
She adds patience is also key, as well as communication. “If you are not happy with something, tell your patner how you feel and what they can do to make you feel better,” she says.
But it’s just as important to realize most people don’t change. Learning to adapt with someone (instead of nagging them), is the best way to make the relationship last until your 80s.
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