Andrè

MargM - you made me laugh now - but in a good way - I can really "hear" you - when you would srup iso syrup - lovely - when I talk English, a real Englishman will immediately know - our Afrikaans speaking people over here have a sort of "flat" pronunciation of certain words - I guess it also comes form the area where I grew up - My Margaret was very good in both languages - she could switch seamlessly between the two - she was a theatre sister in nursing (as we call them over here, when a registered and qualified nurse) and her study-material was 90% in English - I learned a lot too, because I "assisted" with her studies - those medical terms and language - when she and our daughter (also a registered - in ICU) talked about the happenings in their respective hospitals, I could listen for hours and hours - the stories they have to tell - I miss THAT so much!!! Anyway - thanks MargM - God bless, take care and be safe! Regards.

KayC - aaaaaaahhhh, thank you for THAT - but really, I'm no "master" at it - I just have a lot of patience in doing them and thrive on learnig new things - I'm never really happy with the result but somewhere I have to stop - actually THAT (and related stuff) is ALL I wish to do - I became a true procrastinator (now THAT is a nice English word - hahaha) - important things fall along the wayside - and it will land me in trouble one time or another - like my returns to our local Receiver Of Revenue (I think you call it the IRS in the US), I'm 2 years behind - but who cares? - as I said, I became a champion procrastinator - completely the opposite of who I was before. Thanks again KayC - much appreciated - take care and be safe! Reagrds.

BRAD - a part of my fabric indeed - a huuuuuge part - and wrapping myself in those memories is exactly what I do - many a day it carries me. Great to hear you also did the backpack thing - then you will know EXACTLY how it was for us too - whether it was our 120 km Naukluft hike in Namibia, for 8 days next to the Namib desert or if it was in the lush rain forests on our 5 day Outeniqua hike, they all were special - very special - we were so blessed to be able to do them together - it teaches one a lot - about yourself, about life and what really is wheat and what is chaff - you should've seen My Margaret in the mountains - an iron lady indeed - extreme toughness hidden under her beautiful outward appearance - she was pure iron!! Thanks Brad.

BRAD - thank you - I don't know about the "artistry" bit but I'll take it - thanks - I have photography and post processing the images as a hobby since 2002, but a "pro" I'm not - perhaps a wannabee though! My mother tongue is actually Afrikaans - but for some reason all Afrikaans speaking people over here are seen as "Boer" - "boer" is the Afrikaans word for farmer - I'm not farming but still I'm seen as one of the boers - our language has Dutch roots coming from the Netherlands - we have 11 (yes, 11) official languages in our country and Afrikaans being a so called minority group - so, when "talking" on the net, I do so in English the +/- universal language - I'm sure my English grammar and tenses give it away that English not my mother tongue - as long as I can make myself +/- understood, despite grammar errors. Anyway - you're correct - these images of mine, of all our hikes, I treasure and visit them all the time - we were sooooo blessed, to have one another and that we could do these hikes in our lovely country - so blessed - you can imagine how many stories and reference I have in my head - of all our adventures together - you will know I'm sure, that a lot of "things" happened and being encountered during our 62 long distance hikes - precious memories indeed. Thanks again Brad - take care and be safe!

Please allow me to share if I may: in April 2013 - My Margaret and I have done a 5 day hike (the world famous Otter hike in our beautiful country, South Africa) which, little did we know, was her final hike - on our way there (it is 1000 km from home), we've overnight at one of our favourite guest houses in a small town called Prince Albert at the foot of the Swartberg Mountain - this was on 22/4/13 - on her first birthday-date (9/7/14) after she passed (she passed away 7/2/14), I was again in this guesthouse - I went through the guest book and found this entry by My Margaret when we were there 22/4/13 - it was written in our home language - fully translated it says "Lovely, just wasn't here long enough - Andrè & Magriet Wheeler" - it immediately struck me that her words were prophetic indeed, without us knowing it at the time - yes, SHE wasn't here, in this earthly life of ours, long enough. I photographed the words in her own handwriting and can be seen on the composite image below. This means such a lot to me - and as I said - little did we know that 6 months later, she would be diagnosed with stage 4B cancer of the pancreas with mets to the liver - terminal - and 4 months on, her earthly journey would come to an end - My Margaret, my iron lady, my everything from us being ages 10 and 9 - I will carry her in my heart and love her, to my own last breath. Co-incidentally (or is it?) this was her FINAL hike - The Otter Hike - which was also her very FIRST in December 1991 - in between, we've done 60 long hikes - but the Otter was her first and also her last.

Thanks to ALL for the very kind words - much appreciated!!! Enna - yes, My Margaret surely loved the outdoors - we've done 62 long backpack hikes of 5 days + in our beautiful country - and could never get enough - that is where we found peace and true tranquility - we've experienced so much together - so many stories to tell - not a day went by in the 22 years we hiked, that we didn't reminisce over our experiences and memories - 90% of hikes we've done, was just the two of us - bliss!!! To a large extent, these memories now carries me - I will cherish them forever. Thanks again to all - take care and be safe!!

Marty: Thank you - for the kind words - much appreciated. I echo the wise words of Darcie Sims - indeed!!!! Thanks again and regards.

WolfsKat: Thank you - for the kind words and for clicking on the video - glad that it also meant something to you - peace to you too - and take care.

Marg M - thank you - I read a lot of your posts and can associate with all that you pen down - I don't listen to music or read poems that often but when I do, I listen or read with MyMargaret in mind - sometimes it helps me on this journey we're on and other times it brings tears and the longing for her, is killing me. I have so many questions, that cannot be answered - why her?, why not me?, why did she have to suffer the way she did? - after all, she was a nurse (registered - operating room) who for forty four years, helping patients who's in pain - she? - a legend in her working environment - why her? - why? why? The most painful tears aren't the ones from the eyes, but the ones coming from the heart - it takes over your whole body and soul. We were together since ages 10 and 9 - how can I say goodbye? - it just is not possible!! You not "looking forward to live that long" ? - I know the feeling - I from time to time feel exactly the same - and then I have this extreme feeling of guilt - because I promised My Margaret, that I will go on with living our dream, for us both - a promise I have not fulfilled yet! Thanks again Marg - take care!

Cookie: thank you - I cannot see that it will change - they will be with us, forever - and I will walk this path, for My Margaret and me - at least she was spared THIS journey - I will do it for us both. Say goodbye? - not possible - many times I heard people saying (not to me though) in certain situations "at least they had time to say goodbye" - well, we had 4 months since My Margaret's diagnoses and we just couldn't even THINK of "saying goodbye" - because THIS was not happening - now 26 months on, I still cannot say goodbye, I will not say goodbye and echo every word of that song - as well as the words in "Gone too Soon" - as I said, certain songs takes on a whole different meaning now - and become alive. Thanks again Cookie - take care and stay strong.

I read through some posts here - about triggers and grief-bursts - music specifically - when I listen to music the past 26 months, I discover that I listen with a different ear than before - certain songs have a much deeper meaning to me than previously - and those songs come alive - when it's THAT type of song, I immediately download it and make a short video, using it as background to images of My Margaret - like this one - I'm not sure where I heard it, it could even be here. Here is my little video, if I may share: Regards from South Africa Andrè

Thanks Kay - truly appreciate it - yes, the song's lyrics just take on another, much deeper meaning - when it is listened to by someone who lost so much!! Thanks again - for listening - and the kind words. Regards from South Africa!

Thanks a million Marty - thank you, thank you and thank you - and - I still cannot say goodbye - as a song says "i will laugh, i will cry, shake my fist at the sky - but i will not say, will not say goodbye!!"

Thanks Enna - appreciated. All pics from our many long distance hikes - a huge part of our lives - what memories I have - a treasure indeed. Thanks again.

Thanks Marg - appreciated - my thoughts exactly!