There once was a woman in a little town who had been suffering from a serious sickness for a long time. She turned to her devoted husband one day while lying weak and fragile on her sickbed and asked him a deeply felt inquiry.
Her voice shaking, she said, “Honey, how long do you think it would take before you consider marrying another woman if, God forbid, I don’t make it through this?”
Bewildered by the enormity of the situation, her husband took her hand and said, “My dearest, I promise you, I will wait until your grave becomes dry.”
She asked with tears in her eyes, “Are you truly making me this promise, my love?” in an attempt to get comfort.
With love and determination in his eyes, he nodded and said, “Yes, my darling, I promise.”
Sadly, the woman’s condition worsened and she finally died, leaving her husband devastated but resolute to keep his promise. He started making the daily trek to her tomb, a modest and serene place in the neighborhood cemetery, in the days that followed her death.
He would come back day after day with a jug of water to tend to her final resting place, making sure the earth above her stayed damp. Even in severe weather and in times when it appeared like the world was ending, he always did this.
The villagers eventually noticed his unshakable dedication to his late wife’s tomb. His caretaker often marveled at the moist dirt that never appeared to dry, and they were moved by his commitment and the depth of his affection.
One evening, the husband came as usual to water his beloved’s last resting place as the sun sank below the horizon, bathing the peaceful cemetery in a warm glow. He was shocked to see her brother Jason standing over the cemetery, taking care of it.
The sight of family members surprised but reassured him, so he went up to Jason and said, “Jason, what are you doing here?”
Jason smiled softly back, “I’m granting my only sister’s wish. She asked me to come here every day and water her cemetery so it doesn’t go dry. She was aware of your love for her as well as your commitment to honoring it.”
Feeling moved by his brother-in-law’s action, the husband and Jason went back to the cemetery together, making sure that their loved one’s memory will always be treasured and new, as she had requested. And in their mutual visits, they discovered comfort, friendship, and a connection that went beyond life and death.