An Indelible Mark of our Love
Sadly a couple of years ago, my wife passed away. It was no great shock, we’d been married for forty years and she was sixty five. There’s a history of heart conditions in her family and I always knew that I might lose her sooner than was fair. Perhaps that prepared me for her departure. Some people think that I didn’t grieve for her enough, but when you’ve had forty years of love, sometimes you just feel privileged just to know someone. My wife and I were inseparable, but that didn’t mean we didn’t have our own lives. Because of that, I have great support from friends and I don’t have to be lonely.
The reminders of my wife are what keep me happy. I can remember the birth of our first son, our marriage, our honeymoon, our first holiday as a family. It’s the simple things that I remember and they are all triggered by things I see and do every day. If I shop in the local supermarket I remember being there with her, and I smile when I think of her dithering in the aisles, trying to decide what to eat.
I recently spoke to the local council and they have granted me the opportunity to commemorate my wife’s life, and our love with some bronze plaques on the back of a couple of benches where we used to sit in the local park. Just simple messages to her, of love, and of my knowledge that one day we will be together again. But, more than that, it is a reminder to myself of my wonderful wife; A woman who loved me, cared for me, and who I know I will see again soon.