George Brown By George Brown George Brown is the executive director of Clermont Senior Services.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
A golden thread much to be desired
George Brown
All of us have a story to tell.
I recently happened across a book written by a longtime friend that captures the stories of some fascinating “older characters.”
The author, Arlene de Silva, has been a friend since 1978 when we worked together at the Council on Aging of Southwestern Ohio. Arlene has been with the Council for all of these years and has turned her love of older people and photography into a book titled, “Faces in Aging” (www.facesinaging.org).
This 127 page book is a collection of photos and vignettes of older people from around the world ranging from Bessie, a 97 year old Buckeye biker babe, to a Buddhist Monk in Wadduwa, Sri Lanka. I highly recommend Arlene’s book.
I recently received a heartwarming note from an older gentleman that we serve in which he shared his story. In his brief note he not only shared the sentiments of his affection for his wife, but also provided a window into the hardships they experienced living through the depression and a World War.
I know he would not mind my sharing his note with you, but to protect his privacy I’ll just refer to him as John. Here is what he had to say.
“I will soon be 90 years old. I spent my teenage years during the depression, and unless you went through it you cannot really comprehend what it was like. My wife and I were married in 1939. She was making 37 cents per hour in a packing house, and I was making 28 cents per hour in a furniture company.
In 1942 I went overseas for three and a half years. My wife was pregnant at the time and when I came home we struggled for many years, but we made it. She passed away in 1999. We would have soon been married 60 years if she had not died of pancreatic cancer. She was so looking forward to our anniversary, but it was not to be.
Now I have been alone for 10 years. Life has been good, but it has not been a bed of roses. I thought you would like to know about a beautiful marriage that came out of the depression.”
Yes, dear friend, thank you for sharing your story.
I’ve concluded that our life memories are all bundled up in great big chunks called childhood, early adulthood, midlife, and old age. We save pictures in photo albums to help us remember the different chunks of our lives, and we manage to retain some mental images, although many of these seem to slip away with the passing of time.
Over the years the chunks of our lives begin to blur together and, sadly, we slowly begin to forget many of the joyful moments that occurred from day to day.
Some of us are fortunate to have a few constants that run throughout our lives; like threads these constants tend to tie it all together. Living in the same home for 50 years or more can be a thread, and in some respects working at the same place for many years can also be one of life’s threads. But sharing the joys (as well as the sorrows) of life with your soul mate for 60 years or more is a golden thread much to be desired.
In a few weeks Yvonne and I will celebrate 43 “short” years together. Like many couples who married young, we grew up together. We’ve had our share of joys and sorrows, but with the passing of time the threads of our marriage are starting to take on a golden hew. The year 2026, our 60th anniversary year, surely seems a long way off. We hope we will be fortunate enough to spend it together. In the meantime we will enjoy each precious day together, as John and his dear wife did for nearly 60 years.
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George Brown