Anniversary

My Mom's Words are Still True Today

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Hazel and Roy Hale

 
Sixty-two years ago today, my Mom and Dad became husband and wife.  Two months later he was drafted into the army and served the next two years in Korea. As I listen to the words this young bride wrote so long ago, I look at them now and see that the love they had then is just as fresh today.
My Mom was recently diagnosed with stage III ovarian cancer.  She and Dad are staying me while she receives treatment for this life threatening condition. Though Mom’s attitude throughout this ordeal has been remarkable, Dad has been just as amazing. Though he is 82-years old and from that generation where men did men’s work and women did women’s work, he is the perfect caregiver for Mom.  He stays right by her side, always.  She has been in the hospital three times since arriving her and he stayed by her side, night and day every time.  When she rests during the day, he sits in the same room reading in case she needs him. He cooks for her, washes up afterwards, does all the laundry, helps her bath, dress, whatever is needed, he does it and with such patience and kindness that he puts me to shame.  He is such a role model of love and perseverance that I had to share this song of love dedicated to him over 62 years ago.
PS. Mom just came through surgery after chemo was used to reduce the tumor and the doctor feels she got it all!  An amazing example of God’s love and fulfillment of prayer.  I’ll miss them when they move back home but I know that she will be in good hands with my Dad, the super husband every man should strive to be.

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Happy Anniversary

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Donna and Lynn October 11, 1997

On October 11, 1997, Lynn and I got married.  As I stood at the entrance to the sanctuary, with my ten-year old escort (my son), my soon to be husband, was playing his guitar and singing me a song that he wrote just for our wedding.  The theme of the song was, “you’re my best friend.”  How true that was to become.
As I stood there listening, my son kept saying, “you’re not going to cry, are you mama?”  I didn’t.  I was just amazed at his ability to sing to me when I knew how sentimental he was.  He’s much more sentimental than I am.  I’m a realist.  He’s a softy. 
Thinking back to those days, I thought our greatest challenge would be blending the two families and it was indeed a challenge.  There were times in those early years that I was not sure our marriage would make it…but we were committed.  We had said our vows before God and we intended to keep them….no matter how difficult. 
The first years were strained as two very independent people learned to adjust.  I admit my greatest issue with the marriage was that I didn’t feel that Lynn needed me at all.  He did everything himself, he wasn’t one who shared his thoughts very much, and we didn’t really enjoy many of the same entertainments so we lived fairly separate lives.  Realizing that was a major problem we worked on finding commonalities and sharing our lives more.
Fast forward fourteen years….now we share everything and he’s totally dependent on me and we’re closer than we ever could have imagined.  Yes, we even finish each other’s sentences and we often start to mention something we’ve been considering to find out the other one has been thinking the same thing.  We are truly one now.  So while MS has certainly been a major challenge that neither of us really expected back in 1997, in many ways it was an answer to my prayers.  I had often asked God to make us closer–to make us one.  I’ve learned over the years, God has a strange way of answering prayers and I have to say, this one falls into that category, but God took a dreadful condition, MS, and made it an answer to prayer.  How awesome is that?  Because you see, now, we truly are, “best friends.”

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