Having a goal based on love is the greatest life insurance in the world. If you
had asked my dad why he got up in the morning, you would have found his answer
disarmingly simple: "To make my wife happy."
Mom and Dad met when they were nine. Every day before school, they met on a park
bench with the homework. Mom corrected Dad's English and he did the same with
her math. Upon graduation, their teachers said that the two of them were the
best "student" in the school. Note the singular!
They took their time building their relationship, even though Dad always knew
she was the girl for him. Their first kiss occurred when they were 17, and their
romance continued to grow into their 80s. Just how much power their relationship
created was brought to light in 1964. The doctor told Dad he had cancer and
estimated that he had six months to one year left at the most.
"Sorry to disagree with you, Doc," my father said. "But I'll tell you how long I
have. One day longer than my wife. I love her too much to leave the planet
without her."
And so it was, to the amazement of everyone who didn't really know this
love-matched pair, that Mom passed away at the age of 85 and Dad followed one
year later when he was 86. Near the end, he told my brothers and me that those
17 years were the best six months he ever spent. To the wonderful doctors and
nurses at the Department of Veterans' Affairs Medical Center at Long Beach, he
was a walking miracle.
They kept a loving watch on him and just couldn't understand how a body so
riddled with cancer could continue to function so well. My dad's explanation was
simple. He informed them that he had been a medic in World War I and saw
amputated arms and legs, and he had noticed that none of them could think.
So he decided he would tell his body how to behave. Once, as he stood up and it
was evident he felt a stabbing pain, he looked down at his chest and shouted,
"Shut up! We're having a party here."
Two days before he left us he said, "Boys, I'll be with your mother very soon
and someday, some place we'll all be together again. But take your time about
joining us; your mother and I have a lot of catching up to do." It is said that
love is stronger than prison walls. Dad proved it was a heck of a lot stronger
than tiny cancer cells. Bob, George and I are still here, armed with Dad's final
gift. A goal, a love and a dream give you total control over your body and your
life.
Author unknown. If anyone has a proprietary interest in this story please
authenticate and I will be happy to credit, or remove, as the circumstances
dictate.
Thanks to Simply Inspirational
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