Friday, June 4,2015 Thanks for the memories....

As most of you know, I have been walking the same paths along the lake, alone. While I do not go out of my way to talk to strangers, that place just seems to lend itself to being a kind of home away from home for me, so I have been talking to fellow walkers. So along with the stories right in my residence, I have other stories, from the lake, - some are fun. some sad, yet , I feel that the stories are telling me we are all on this planet for a reason. The reason, maybe, we're just here to share our stories. Does this help us, well I think so as it gives us something else or somebody else to pay attention to, to support and sometimes to just be a listener.
So many stories, I don't know which to tell first, I continue being a visitor and tonight was no exception. My visit last night was with L. a 91 year old who has been here eight months. She and her husband have been married for about 63 years, he is 94 and although he is not well, he refuses to move from his house. L. definitely needs to be here, big swollen feet, heart condition and partially blind walks with a walker and for any amount of walking more than 10 feet or more has or should be in a wheel chair. So that's why she is here and he is in the house...(does not have the big A)
But, how pleasant it was to talk to her - she was getting ready for bed, she brushed out her long grey hair, and put it in a long thin braid...her face was all washed and shiny, and with her beautiful smile, she said how much she loves that I come to say goodnight to her. I told her, I love to see her braid her hair as it reminds me of my own mom, who used to do that every night, and in some other ways maybe it's her very fair face and blue eyes that also reminds me of my mom.
She has in the past few times I've visited, shown me pictures of her children and grandchildren, all so beautiful, and doing so well..how proud she is of the family. As well, she has told me of her life before retirement, she was an auditor at the Bay Department Store (Morgans ) for forty years, with the money she made she has travelled everywhere...So I asked, if her husband travelled with her. Well, surprise...NO, said very emphatically. He will not go anywhere, and even if he did, I wouldn't want him as he has to be the Boss.
She then proceeded to tell me how she travelled with her two close friends . She explained how one of the reasons they were so close is they all came from the same country, and were all married to bullies. For example she said her husband never would have company, he was anti-social, and refused to have friends for dinner...or even to play cards or socialize in any way. She said she was sure her children married when they were very young and moved away to get away from him, although now they are very helpful to both she and her husband.
Speaking of bullies though, She told me of how her friend's husband was sitting at a gathering of some sort, took off his glasses and held them to the light..on seeing the lens were cloudy, turned to his wife and said, Lisa here clean my glasses...and she said, much to her amazement her friend cleaned his glasses...Later though apparently, when talking in their threesome, her friend made a vow never to do it again. Wow , talk about women's liberation.
Then the preposee came in to get her to bed, it was one who had been with Mac many times in the past. The preposee said to me, you are such a friend to some of the old people here, I said, it passes my time - especially at night when I used to be with Mac before bedtime. All this was said,of course, in French. The preposee turned to L. and pointing at me, she and her husband, we called them Les Amoureux..and she hugged me.. I asked L. if she understood the preposee.. she said, you and your husband were the Lovers...how I wish I could say that. I wished she could have said that too.
When I said goodnight, L. hugged me and said, do please come and see me again, and I said I certainly will...and so I left L. and walked along saying hello God, thanks for my good memories and my good husband..g'nite.