Crumbling Body, Shining Spirit

My Hubby's body is deteriorating.
I can see it in the way he struggles to breathe.
I can see it in his emaciated muscles.
I can see it in moments of confusion.
I can see it in his need for more sleep.
And there are other bodily functions, just beginning their descent into shutting down.

And yet - as I look deeply into his gentle brown eyes, I can see his Spirit shining through. His eyes sparkle at a shared joke, a memory, the voice of his grandson over the phone.
How can that be?

While Christmas shopping, I ran into an old friend. Someone I hadn't seen in years.
"How are you?" she enquired.
"Fine." I answered "how about you?"
"Oh, I've got cancer." I nearly jumped out of my skin.
"Yes", she continued, "it started in my breast and now it's in my bones and lungs".

"But you look fine!" I blurted out before I could think. Is this the right response? Does somebody in this situation want to look fine? Or do they want you to say "yeah, you look tired" or something similarly vague, as a way of admitting that things are not quite right.

I looked into her eyes. I scanned her body, trying to get a feeling for her energy. She looked like any normal middle-aged woman out shopping. Not someone who had metastatic cancer.

How can that be? How can someone be so sick and yet look normal. Here she was dressed comfortably in jeans and sweater, hair done, a touch of make-up, carrying a shopping bag in each hand. She had the energy to go Christmas shopping!!

As the days pass, I wonder "will this be the day?"
"No", I answer myself "Hubby is still doing his rehab exercises. He is still able to eat normally. He still has interest in life - watches sports on T.V. and reads books. He talks to his sons over the phone. He clings to his daily routine, like the survivor of a ship-wreck who clings to a piece of wood. And he still has a Shining Spirit.

One day this Spirit will go out. But for now, I am marveling on the strength behind this "will to live" - this strong Shining Spirit.