I saw her in the group in front of me. She wore a white skirt and a checkered lavender colored top. I liked how she walked, talked, and interacted with the three other girls in her group. We were on a church outing to the local Putt Putt miniature golf course. Eight days ago (36 years later) I rounded the corner where the Putt Putt used to be on my way to the hospital to see the lifeless body of my bride. The call came at 6:51 that morning to tell me that she was gone, ending a seven month long battle that started with a ruptured frontal lobe aneurysm.
We would have been married 35 years next month, and I can honestly say that our love grew sweeter as the years went by. The last seven months taught me much about this woman who really was the love of my life. I saw her through the eyes of countless others who told me of her endless love and devotion. She was known for her Christ-like spirit and her positive and encouraging attitude towards all of those she encountered, especially her students. Parents, staff, students and her family knew she loved deeply and genuinely.
She was often heard saying, “I love you more than life.” I think she really did! In meditating on that statement I can’t help but think of Christ who loved her more than life. Our three-year-old granddaughter when asked where Nana is replied, “In Heaven.” When asked how she got there she said, “Jesus came down picked her up in his arms and carried her to Heaven.” He loved her more than his own life, so she could know how to love others more than life.
The love of my life, my beautiful bride, is in Heaven. I have a hole in my heart as big as the Grand Canyon, and I miss her deeply. I will see her again one day when Jesus comes down to pick me up in his arms to take me home. Until then I want to love as she loved. I will never fill her shoes, but I will gain much in this life and the next by giving it a good try.
Stan Means
Elder Source Senior Ministries
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