Yesterday morning was a very cold one here on Long Island. It was one of those days where you don't really want to leave the house or walk around with wet hair after your shower.
Before I could get to the blowdryer to dry my hair, I went to the front window so that I could dread the weather again and having to go out. Across the street I see an ambulance at my neighbors house. I know they are there to pick up Mr. L. Earlier last year, Mr. L had a stroke and after some time in the hospital recovering and doing rehab, he was able to come home to his wife of 50 years.
You could see the toll all of this had taken on Mrs. L over the past year. Even though it was Mr. L who had been sick, Mrs. L carried the burden on caring for him, the house, the garbage and recycling, and the impeccable lawn that was Mr. L's favorite pastime. Short of trimming his lawn with a pair of scissors, we see him outdoors everyday the weather allowed, cutting, trimming, planting, picking up every autumn leaf.
Since his stroke, Mrs. L had to hire a landscaper to keep up with it all. Luckily thus far we haven't had any snow that she needed to contend with. A few of us neighbors helped where we could, but we never wanted to make either of them feel helpless.
When I looked out the window, and without knowing how bad Mr. L was, it took seconds for me to feel sad for Mrs. L. She has endured so much while sticking to her vows of "in sickness and in health." I know and I'm sure she knows that the eventual end result will be "till death did they part." This made me think about the heartbreak you end up with when your spouse leaves this world.
Living your day to day lives together; the home, the kids, every single memory you make, together, richer, poorer, good time & bad, vacations, and the years of no vacation; it all ends one day and the person you've lived with longer than you were alone, is gone. It breaks my heart today and for the future.
And for Mrs. L.
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