This is a favorite song of my husband, Bill. Throughout our marriage, we always seemed to have an "old" dog, and a young puppy in the household, and enjoyed the companionship and loyalty of our pets; along with the love for our four children during their tender years of growing up.
Seasons pass quickly in a man's life and before we knew it, our children were married and having children of their own and we are now blessed with ten grandchildren. Below is a recent photo of Bill and some of our grandsons.
Bill, our oldest son Mark, Joshua, Hunter, James and Nathaniel
Life is not all about politics. Life is about living and loving, sharing and the joy of friendships. A blessed man is one who in his old age is surrounded by his children and grandchildren and this picture says it all - Bill is truly blessed.
Bill with our daughter Christina
Bill with our youngest son, Darren
Our daughter Christiana with her daughter, Maegan
Grandson, Isaiah
Nathaniel, with cousin Maura
Bill with son, Todd
Okay, you folks now have a better picture in your minds of "Bee Sting's" family and of the man who has faithfully stood by me even when I have had many a "bad hair day", "meltdowns" and at times, we ran into roadblocks along our journey together - you know, those unexpected, unwelcome surprises in life - things that were out of our control but always in the hands of our G-d.
We never had the royal treatment of being entertained by kings and queens. Never knew what it would be like to have a home without needing fixing, or a new roof! Only twice in our 46 years of marriage did we ever purchase a "new" car. But, when I look back I consider myself so fortunate, to have had the love of a faithful man, and one who loved children, old dogs, and that watermellon wine was the "sweetness" in our marriage.
We have been blessed with contentment and a part of that contentment stems in the fact that we did not reach for the moon, but were always looking forward to something new, along with new goals in our life - and when asked how we managed to stay married these 46 years, I told one person that it was because my husband allowed me to "grow" - to be myself. Bill never stunted my ability to seek new interests and that included playing on this computer!
Ron
While playing on the computer we met one from Israel, someone we grew to love and call our "son in Israel." Ron entered our lives at a time when Bill and I were so receptive to learning more about Israel and what an education Ron shared with us! And once again, our family grew and now we consider Ron an extension of our love within our family.
There is an old proverb that says "To have friends, one must show himself friendly". Bill is the perfect example of this proverb. A gentle man, a loving man, and one who always was a friend to those in need, and that special character in Bill came back to bless him in his time of need, for I could post photos of Bill's friends for the next 24 hours, but do not wish to bore you any further.
The purpose in writing and sharing a window of my life is to say that at this time, our Bill will not be with us for much longer. He grows weaker each day, under the care of Hospice nurses and myself; and all the smiles you see in these photos have turned to tears this week.
Today, as a tribute to my beloved Bill, I have shared his photo and the people he loved most with the world.
And when the "Bee" goes missing for a few days, it will be a time when we, as a family and friends, say our last goodbye to Bill.
To everyone, I would say, never take your loved ones for granted. Always hold them close to your heart and remember, that in life, while there are so many concerns and trials each of us face throughout our lifetime, it is all "small stuff" compared to the love of family. (You can throw in a few dogs, and a little sweetness too which makes the journey far more pleasant!)
In closing, I will share another one of Bill's favorite songs, that he says brings him peace.
Bee Sting
