Tender Reminders

My wife and I were at a movie the other day.  It was a movie that we enjoyed very much.  It was based on a true story.  There were many touching scenes.  However, near the end of the movie, a very troubling scene came, where we watched in horror as the husband was killed in an accident.  We had not been prepared for that.  I could tell that my wife also took a gasping breath.  We were holding hands at the time.  Our grip tightened.  We sat white knuckled after that, as the movie played out, in a very mild way, what the new widow and her family were experiencing in the aftermath.

I was very troubled by how the film made me feel.  It brought everything back as though it was yesterday.  Even though the story being portrayed was not how I lost my wife, it took me back to that moment once more.  It also brought back all the fears and stress that I felt back then.  It took several moments before I could breathe relaxed again.  After we left the theater, my wife and I talked about it.  I knew that she had been as affected as I had been.  Her husband had also died of cancer.  Our shared experience has given both of us insights into how we each have felt over the years we’ve been together.  I was glad that she understood my feelings so well. 

The memory of the feelings I had from watching the film stayed with me through the following day, but it made me grateful for this woman I found to share my life with.  Today I find myself grateful for life, for family, and for love.  I am especially grateful for the experiences that have given me the greater appreciation for what is truly important.  God, family and friends out weigh anything else about this life.

Thanks Deb, for love and a more meaningful life.  Thank you family and friends for your love and support.

Until next time, Jene