It can be tough to think about times changing, loved ones growing up and growing old, and the knowledge that time really stops for no one. Sometimes, it can get downright depressing.
But time also gives us the chance to experience all kinds of things, and create a beautiful and unique story all our own. And if we're lucky, we get to share it with some very special people.
Texas-based photographer Shalyn Nelson wants to share a beautiful story with everyone. But it's not hers.
It's the story of the enduring love of her grandparents, Joe and Wanda, ages 86 and 83, respectively.
The happy couple recently celebrated their 63rd wedding anniversary, and Nelson gifted them their own photo shoot.
And it shows us so much about love, and how life-sustaining it truly is. Like the grandparents who gave their engaged grandchildren some advice on relationships, we can also learn from Wanda and Joe about our own relationships.
Get the tissues.
The photos show that love is transformative and beautiful at any age, and that even though time keeps on moving, there are some things, like love, that not even time can touch.
[H/T: BoredPanda]
In 2014, photographer Shalyn Nelson set up a photo shoot in honor of her grandparents' 63rd wedding anniversary.
She wanted to tell the story of their enduring love and their beautiful relationship.
She told Joe, her "Papaw," to have his best suit ready, and assured Wanda, her "Mamaw," that she would have something perfect to wear.
Joe and Wanda married in 1952. They met by chance, when Joe spied Wanda walking down the street. He asked her out right there, she accepted, and the rest is history!
They've spent their lives together since then.
Nelson wanted to capture their relationship for her ongoing project called Love, The Nelsons, which explores everyday love stories like this one.
They might be just two people, but their love resonates so deeply with anyone.
Nelson also wanted to show the profundity of love and relationships, and what really goes into a marriage.
"It’s more than color schemes, gorgeous gowns, perfectly crafted tables capes, and the perfect shoes," she explains.
"It’s growing old, hand in hand, wrinkle after wrinkle. It’s taking two heartbeats and working together to make one. It’s letting love win, always, no matter what."
Starting with her grandparents, she hopes to collect stories of lovers from all walks of life and compile them into a book.
Nelson has always been close with her grandparents, and refers to them as her heroes.
She also credits Joe with her love of photography, and says that she's learned some of the most important lessons from them.
One of those lessons? "Only love matters at the end of this life, when all is said and done. Love always wins."
For the shoot, Nelson also asked her grandparents to write letters to each other, expressing their feelings after all these years.
"The years have gone by fast," Joe wrote. "One morning you just wake up and you are OLD. Anyway, I wouldn't trade them for all the gold in Alaska."
He closed the letter saying, "I love you just as much today as the day I married you."
"And just think," he joked, "the license only cost $2.00. The best bargain I ever made."
For her part, Nelson hopes that stories like her grandparents', the stories of everyday, hardworking people who love one another, will help inspire others, and remind them that even when times are tough, love still exists.
And that's something we can all take comfort in!
Joe and Wanda have now been married for 65 years, and are still as in love as ever despite some health issues.
You can see more of Nelson's photography and more of her project on true love on her website, as well as on Facebook and Instagram.
And be sure to SHARE this beautiful story if you still believe in true love!
