What A Battle

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Work friend of mine spent a lot of time taking care of his ailing wife.

Over the last few years, we’ve often met at the grocery store on Sunday morning.

This is one of those guys who can build anything, or fix anything. He’s worked hard for decades.

Was rewarded with a wife who ran into a lot of health issues, but he didn’t complain about it.

Went to work.

Returned home and did a lot of work there too.

46 years together.

His wife passed away this past Sunday, and he scheduled the wake for today…

…because it is his birthday, and he said:

“They wanted to have the funeral on Thursday, but I wanted to spend one last birthday with her.”

I went to the wake.

He mentioned us having to do the grocery shopping and the laundry and clean up around the house.

“It never felt like I was sacrificing anything,” he said.

I get that.

His children and grandchildren were all around him.

“You have a lot of adjusting to do,” I said to him. 

“That’s life. It’s a battle.”

Sometimes it’s more than just a battle.

He met his wife when they were teenagers, and they battled through it all, and there he was.

On his birthday.

Saying goodbye.

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