Photo from: E! News for NBC Connecticut
Our feeds have been inundated with COVID-19 news for weeks now, so when we saw some coronavirus content that wasn’t all gloom and doom, we were TOTALLY here for it 🙌. In a Tweet and story that have now gone viral ((no pun intended)) all over the country, we learned that Bob Shellard – of Vernon, CT – wouldn’t let his 67th wedding anniversary go by this past weekend without letting his sweetheart, Nancy, know how much he loved her.
Follow the clip on over to NBC Connecticut, because you’ll want to see the whole thing. It seriously warms the heart and serves as a reminder of humanity. This is a whole new world we’re living in lately, but love is still at the epicenter of it all. This husband and wife, who have been together for nearly seven decades, understand the limitations and restrictions imposed on us by the coronavirus pandemic, but still won’t let social distancing keep them from celebrating a major milestone.
In the video, Bob talks to his love on a cell phone, asking if she had seen his sign – a sign that he had spent the entire week making. On it, he writes “I’ve loved you 67 years and still do. Happy Anniversary.” The scene, of a man visiting his wife at her nursing home, is one we’ve seen before #notebookvibes. Yet, in the year 2020, visitation has been replaced by protective isolation. Even though Bob had visited his wife every day prior to the COVID-19 outbreak, he’s adjusted to the new normal and respects all of the cautious cadences. But about that 6ft. apart rule?
He’d make it his own, with balloons and a big smile.
That he did. That he did.
I can only hope that in 60+ years my husband and I are as in love as Bob and Nancy are today. The two raised four children together, and have always been a source of relationship inspiration to all of them. While Nancy has Alzheimer’s and Dementia, she still lights up every time she sees the love of her life. Coronavirus might be a concern all across the country, but to the Shellards, it’s just a small inconvenience.
Let’s all be the Shellards.
