1. I never forgot my first love. We were forced apart by my parents when they sent me to another state to live. I never saw him again but I never stopped missing him. About 6 months ago, I found out where he lived from an old friend. We had not spoken in over fifty years.
I was so nervous about calling because I though he might have forgotten who I was or that he might be married with a family and not want to be reminded of the past. When he answered the phone and I told him who I was he was overjoyed. He was so warm and sweet to me that I almost cried. I found out that he had never married and that he was as devastated by the breakup as I had been.
When we finally hung up after several hours of talking he said: “thank you for finding us.”
That was the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me.
2. I was nineteen when my dad died, and my mom gave me a letter on the day of his funeral. It was a letter he had written me while he was dying:
“I hope to spend years watching you grow, but if I’m not afforded that promise, I want you to know that I’m so proud of who you are, and I love you very much. Never accept anything less than the best because you are first-class in every way.”
3. It was a busy morning, approximately 8:30 a.m., when an elderly gentleman in his 80’s, arrived to have stitches removed from his thumb in my Clinic. He stated that he was in a hurry as he had an appointment at 9:00 am.
I took his vital signs and had him take a seat, knowing it would be over an hour before someone would to able to see him. I saw him look at his watch and decided, since I was not busy with another patient, I would evaluate his wound.
On exam, it was well healed, so I talked to one of the doctors, got the needed supplies to remove his sutures and redress his wound.
While taking care of his wound, we began to engage in conversation. I asked him if he had another doctor’s appointment this morning, as he was in such a hurry. The gentleman told me no, that he needed to go to the nursing home to eat breakfast with his wife.
I then inquired as to her health. He told me that she had been there for a while and that she was a victim of Alzheimer’s Disease.
As we talked, I asked if she would be upset if he was a bit late. He replied that she no longer knew who he was, that she had not recognized him in five years now.
I was surprised, and asked him, “And you still go every morning, even though she doesn’t know who you are?”
He smiled as he patted my hand and said, “She doesn’t know me, but I still know who she is.”I had to hold back tears as he left, I had goose bumps on my arm, and thought, “That is the kind of love I want in my life”.
