JUST EAST OF REVELSTOKE (Part
Six)
What makes a man who he is? Is it the worst things he's ever done, or
the best things he wants to be? When you find yourself in the middle of your
life and you're nowhere near of where you were going, how do you find the way
from the person you've become to the one you know you could have been? Again for
me I was blessed with Joyce behind me, loving me and all the
way!
For all I ever wanted in life I guess, is to have a wife and Walton’s
type family but no family is really like the very functional “Good Night John
Boy” variety. Through the dysfunctional family that every family
has to a degree within, Joyce and still I had a lot of fun. We had Twenty Eight years together that have gone by in a
blink of an eye. We traveled life’s road and have been there and done that, made
it through moments of pee your pants giggles, struggle and
strife.
The event of horror that happened, affected us all, as a matter of
fact there was another event of horror and both neither of us ever really got
over. Though they had a major impact and took a long time to learn to deal with.
In the tradition of Joyce, I choose not to talk about them as that is the way of
things. What is important is that we did supported each other through it all and
that is all that matters!
In all, my life on this earth was made
much, much better with Joyce as she treated me like a King and I treated her
like my Queen.
For 21 years as a small example, I brought her coffee in bed, even
when I had 5 leg casts, one after another, through my cancer and post heart
operations. I would have crawled if I had up those stairs every morning, to
bring that fresh cup of coffee to the woman whom I
Love.
I in turn, taught Joyce to go swimming and feel safe on a water air
mattress and she in turn taught me to have more of a sense of
humour.
As Lovers, well let’s leave those memories in the Ken and Barbie doll
realm, after all we do have children and grandchildren but let’s say, I am sure
that we did put a smile on the Egyptian Sphinx.
We were one of the few couples of our age that I have seen, who could
go for walks and still hold hands, the problem started actually during one of
our walks. Joyce suddenly got a chest pain which she attributed to heart
burn.
For others in this world, worry is usually recreational in nature but
for me it is a lifestyle. Getting Joyce to go to a Doctor, was like pulling
teeth from a chicken and would usually involve an ambulance ride at some
terrifying point! Also to obtain from one of those witch doctors a proper
diagnose, well that is another story that my inner anger is still too hot yet to
speak about.
Again we worked and lived together and the down side to this at times
was, yesterday’s disagreement could carry itself in the car to work with both of
us but we were always able to say “Kiss noise; Love You Good Night” at the end
of each day.
This verbal ritual was due to Joyce’s Boston Terrier Lucy, who did
not like Joyce kissing Daddy good night. Yes, we could have went after her for
that but it was always easier just to do a “Kiss noise; Love You Good Night!”
and it meant just as much as anyone else’s lip lock at the end of the
day.
Love Blooms Just East Of Revelstoke;
Part 6 by Richard
Abbenbroek…
