Play a Song for Me

Mural in Alpine, Texas.

Last year, today marked the 50th anniversary of my wedding. This year it’s just another day. It still marks the anniversary of my wedding, but the partner with whom I was counting is gone, having departed this vale of tears last August. Sad way to end a marriage, but fifty years is a good while and there are others less fortunate, so in the spirit of counting my blessings, I count that.

As I stand here now on the other side of those fifty years, I marvel at how lucky I was to find someone with whom I could spend fifty years. It was a chance meeting that clicked in a big way. And given how fast life moves, it’s a wonder it happened, but happen it did. We grabbed hold of each other and held on for dear life. And now here I am, alone, in the sense that my partner is gone, but blessed with three kids, four grandkids, and a pocket full of memories.

Plus, and this is equally important, I have a large contingent of friends and acquaintances who are helping to fill in the blank space in which I now find myself living. They have been there for me and continue to be there in ways both big and small. That feels pretty nice, and it’s another blessing for which I am grateful. And being grateful, as I’ve discovered, is a great salve for any wound no matter how deep.

John W. Wilson is the author of The Long Goodbye: A Caregiver’s Tale