...for a reunion with Jeanne.

Life is a little bit like the weather. You can let it get you down. Or you can learn to enjoy it. Even in Minnesota, known for its cold, cold winters. But I’ve discovered winter ain’t so bad. Oh, it can get annoying. If one allows it to get annoying. But one can learn to enjoy 30 degrees below zero. Because the air is crisp. And clean. And often sunny. And when the temperature rises to 5 or 10 above, it starts to feel warm again. And when a thaw comes, it’s almost like shirtsleeve weather. It feels so good. Jeanne and I went outdoors virtually every day of our lives. Even during the sojourn with Alzheimer’s. Jeanne in a wheelchair. And we dressed for it. On cold, frigid days, Jeanne was wrapped in a thermal sleeping bag. One that kept her so warm that she’d wear a pair of socks, and no shoes. Her feet stayed toasty warm. And I tucked heating pads in the sleeping bag. Put ‘em in a microwave for a minute or two, and the pads stay warm. For hours. And scarves and chokers and headbands and ski masks. Even when I was working, and had to travel in inclement weather, it wasn’t all that bad. Forced me to slow down. To take my time. To enjoy the heavy, deep snow. Shoveling snow is good exercise, if you take it slow and easy. On snowy days in recent winters, I often chose to leave the car in the garage. And walk the 3 miles to Birchwood, the nursing home. Or in the middle of January, I sometimes took a shortcut to Birchwood, straight across the frozen lake. Even in the worst of winters, it wasn’t all that bad. Maybe 10 days that made it darn inconvenient. A bit uncomfortable. That left 90 percent of the time rather tolerable. Relatively comfortable. Yes, much like life in general. The good times far, far outnumber the bad times. And I get used to the ups and downs. Every bad time passes. Sooner or later. I look at the big picture. Of life. There’s winter, and then spring and summer and fall. A contrast of seasons. Every season has something positive about it. I’m 72. Jeanne lived to 80. Not bad. We’ve lived relatively long lives. And I’m still kicking. Jeanne and I had almost 40 years together. So much time to love. To appreciate each other. To savor our togetherness. Even now. I have Jeanne’s spirit with me. I still have life in so many, many meaningful ways. Precious moments. Daily. I accept the fact that I’ll die. And that dying isn’t always pleasant. That it can be a sad time. But by golly, with the time I have left, I’ll try to make the best of it. By loving. By caring. Right up to the end. And when it’s all over, I’ll conclude that life was a pleasure. A gift. Well worth living. And then I’ll be off to the spirit world...for a reunion with Jeanne. --Jim Broede