The DJ also rocked some Beatles pretty hard at the reception

Loyal Scaiaholics will recall I rarely get emotional, perhaps because I've wandered into a selection of the worst things that have happened to society over the past ten years. I'm still working on feeling ways about stuff, so to mark Valentine's Day, an associate suggested I could learn a few things during a vow renewal at the dementia care center where he works.

The wedding was part of family night at the James L. West Center, so a lot of relatives filed in for the party. The director welcomed everyone, staff got excited to dress up and set out the fixins.

They said they were excited to throw a party. The director said partners may feel like they're only a caregiver and no longer a husband or wife, so staff was glad to take a role that was, I suspect, more celebratory than usual. They said people don't come there to do nothing. "They come to live."

A total of 15 couples participated. The director says one declined because the husband doesn't always remember the wife, so they just sat in the crowd. But when the ceremony started, she spotted him repeating the vows to his wife.

The center's director of family support services led the ceremony. She said, "Even when the days are confusing, the feeling of love is still clear."

"This ceremony is not about remembering the past perfectly," she said. "It's about honoring the bond that exists right now. This moment is a gift."

They also set out wedding pictures of each couple. Heather Macchietto, the director of the senior day program, says a woman would walk by and, each time, say, "Hey, that's me!"

"That is you. You're beautiful!" Macchietto would reply. "She's like, 'And that's my husband!' It's just that little spark, then they just go back to their day. That's just what we wanted to do is give the couples a chance to connect in a meaningful way and for their families to be a part of it."

Of course, as a man who's right on the brink of feeling ways about things, my takeaway was the dichotomy of how the couples were dressed.

Some were taking it very seriously; others were just ready for the party. But you know what? They were making it work for themselves, and this rich tapestry of life lets us all have good times in our way.

For instance, I'm planning to enjoy the cinema of Jack Black with a lady tonight.