First Snowfall
Estimated reading time: 0 minutes, 42 seconds
Light, fluffy snow fell overnight. For decades, I shoveled the snow, usually by myself. My rationale was that it was a good exercise. In time, I used fewer chemicals and more body strength. Jan and I would pride ourselves on having the clearest sidewalks and driveways. More often than not, we were the first to finish the task.Jan worried that I might have a heart attack and tried various ways to keep me from shoveling. Now, I live in an apartment, and no shoveling is required.
Jan convinced me to stop shoveling snow.
Her love will never die.
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Snow Does Not Halt My Daily Walks
As I got out of bed today, I heard the sound of a snow plow scraping outside. If my wife were here, she would encourage me to stay in bed, and I would have, as her pleas were impossible to deny. However, I have been alone for 986 days, so I decided to get dressed for my morning walk. As I stepped onto the sidewalk, the snow seemed more like a dusting than the 1.8 inches reported by my weather app. If I used their ruler to measure my height, I could claim I was six feet tall.
Grief has been a great teacher; I have learned to listen better, even when my hearing might be less than optimal. I have embraced others, though only a few have been as welcoming as my beloved wife. Now, I open my arms to adapt to a new and unfamiliar world. Each step I take into the unknown future is one I must never cease to take. Although I would do anything to bring my wife back, I know that is impossible. The future, with all of its mysteries and possibilities, is the only path I can take.
Dr. Zhivago
Estimated reading time: 0 minutes, 42 secondsThis morning, I thought about other wintery days that Jan and I experienced together on my walk in the snow.
On February 12, 1975, the biggest snowstorm from 1970 to 1977 fell on Brooklyn. Jan was living on Washington Park across from Ft. Greene Park. The storm dropped “7.8” piling up between 8 AM-3 PM. Snow fell at the rate of one inch per hour for five consecutive hours.”
Jan and I walked in the park. The snow was falling rapidly, and the drifts were high. We both looked at each other and said. “Are we in Dr. Zhivago?”
It was a very romantic moment on a snowy day. I tried to kiss her, but we both decided it was too cold to do that in the snow.
Snow Angel
Estimated reading time: 0 minutes, 42 secondsIn January of 1974, Jan and I joined some of my friends from Brooklyn to go upstate in the Hudson Valley. A friend knew someone who had a cabin, and it seemed like an excellent way to get away for a weekend.
Jan was the only woman on the trip, and we were the only couple. It was the first time we had gone away together.
One day, everyone else was doing something, and Jan and I went for a walk in the snow. Having grown up in Florida, snow was a new experience for me.
“We should make snow angels,” Jan said. I looked at her with puzzlement. She then made a snow angel, and I laid down in the snow and made one.
We made many snow angels over the years. But the first ones were the most memorable.
Jan was my loving angel and always will be.
