This Love, this Love, this Love ~

[MartyT]

Sharing a beautiful post that appears over at the Soaring Spirits blog. (Note the invitation that Allison offers at the end of her piece, in case you are interested):

This Love, this Love, this Love ~

by Alison Miller

Valentine’s Day draws near and I know that many of us anticipate a day filled with reminders of how our person isn’t here with us, and the pain that gets all twisted up with his or her absence.

I get it, and I feel it too.  My and Chuck’s anniversary is just a few days later.  Double whammy in the gut.

But, yeah, Valentine’s Day.  As cheesy as it can be, as overblown as it often is, still, for me, it’s one more day to celebrate Love.  And I’m all about the Love, as most of you know.  Love. Love. Love.

Ain’t none of this shit easy…this widowhood.  It sucks big time and godalmighty do I miss Chuck into the very cells of my body and my sinews and DNA and more.

But I also hold grief and Love together.  In my heart.  In my soul.  In my body.  In everything I do each day.  The duality of loss, right?

Chuck and Alison.  Valentine’s Day and our anniversary.  Life and Death.  Grief and Love.

I love the Love story Chuck and I shared.  And I love hearing other Love stories.  Year round, not just on Valentine’s Day.  I love seeing couples holding hands out in public.  Even though it hurts my insides.

What I truly love hearing about is not just the beginnings of Love stories but what makes the Love story remain a Love story.  That’s where the real meat is, for me. Read on here >>>

[Guest]

What a sweet story Marty. Thanks for sharing it. I never was a very macho kind of guy. I like it that this planet is big enough for their to be lots of other couples that were just as gushy and mushy and my wife & i always were. It's kinda nice to know that we never had a corner on that market. Maybe there's hope for mankind after all.

One foot in front of the other...

Darrel

[kayc]

When you click on the "Read on here" you get the rest of the story, and at the end, it invites you to share YOUR story.  I did, I can't pass up a chance to share about my George and our love story.

[Froggie4635]

Valentin'e Day is our wedding anniversary, and seeing the Valentine stuff in the stores starts the dread of it approaching.  I am going to try and remember all the love we had on that day we joined our lives.  Mark thought it was a hokie thing to do, to get married on that day...but he saw my way of thinking after I explained it was to help him to never forget our anniversary, not that he ever would.  He was so very romantic.  I have a copy of the card that came with my first Valentine's  flowers from him...and I have the dried petals.  He got me tulips, and when I see tulips I immediately thing of him.  I will look at the link and share my story.

[iPraiseHim]

I proposed to my wife, Rose Anne, on Valentine's day 27 years ago.  She said "YES"  

Our last Valentine's Day together,  I asked and prepared for my bride everything she wanted.  She read the recipe and shared on how to make our meal.. We spent the weekend together, laughing, loving, and sharing all of the wonderful memories that we shared together for the last 25 years.  We watched movies and listened to songs and had such a memorable weekend.

The next day, Monday, February 16, 2015, she didn't make her usual call to me in the morning.   I thought she was just sleeping. We had a heavy snowstorm and my car slid across several lanes of traffic.  Fortunately no one was hurt and I thought that was my "scare" for the day. When I opened the door, I called, "Honey, I'm Home" but there was no response.  I found her resting peacefully in her chair.  

I am so thankful for our last Valentine's weekend together.  She is my Valentine.   - Shalom. George

[Gwenivere]

George, that is so heartbreaking.  I'm so glad you had other Valentines to remember.  We never ever think when we choose those times to make special that they can be so uprooted and leave us devastated.

[kayc]

George,

I'm also glad you got that last Valentine's Day, it sounds like it was a good one.  It's amazing what we live through...

[Cookie]

On ‎01‎/‎26‎/‎2017 at 0:07 AM, iPraiseHim said:

I proposed to my wife, Rose Anne, on Valentine's day 27 years ago.  She said "YES"  

Our last Valentine's Day together,  I asked and prepared for my bride everything she wanted.  She read the recipe and shared on how to make our meal.. We spent the weekend together, laughing, loving, and sharing all of the wonderful memories that we shared together for the last 25 years.  We watched movies and listened to songs and had such a memorable weekend.

The next day, Monday, February 16, 2015, she didn't make her usual call to me in the morning.   I thought she was just sleeping. We had a heavy snowstorm and my car slid across several lanes of traffic.  Fortunately no one was hurt and I thought that was my "scare" for the day. When I opened the door, I called, "Honey, I'm Home" but there was no response.  I found her resting peacefully in her chair.  

I am so thankful for our last Valentine's weekend together.  She is my Valentine.   - Shalom. George

Beautiful, heartrending story George.  My heart goes out to you.  I know that I wish all those wonderful moments could have gone on forever; there still don't feel like there were enough.  Hugs, Cookie

[Margm]

My dad always remembered "days."  He would wake me up on my birthday singing to me.  (Even after I was married, until he passed away).  I expected Billy to be like my dad.  Oh Lordy, that boy's family was something else.  When they were kids his mom would make crashing noises on the porch.  They were scared of Santa Claus and he never had the holidays like I did.  So, sending his sister to pick me out a card, and one time our daughter when she was a teenager, this was his kind of remembering.  My feelings got hurt so many times that I finally said to hell with it.  He was so good in so many other ways, it did not matter really.  Certainly not enough to get upset about.  So, I quit buying anything but a card for him, and it got to where it was okay with me.  Then he saw our daughter get so upset at her husband's forgetfulness and that boy of mine turned completely around.  I was not ready for that.  This was not like him.  I'm ashamed to say I forgot to get him a 50th anniversary card.  He got me flowers, a card, I had done it so many years and I guess I just reversed personalities with him.  Not on purpose.  

And the bedroom sanctuary.  If our door was locked it was always "what are you all doing in there."  One time we told them we were watching  porn.  Kids can sure ruin a mood.  I had female cancer and terrible treatments so moods did not need to be ruined.  

Sounds like this lady and her husband with two mixed families were certainly successful.  I am sorry for her sadness.  I am sorry for all of you, especially you George.  I said I was not having an October in 2016, but I did.  And the year 2015 did happen.  And Billy does not have to worry about cards anymore but I will always put his name on any card I give to anyone in our family.  They understand.