Remembering LaVerne: Happy Times

Since my loving wife passed away 3 years ago today after a 5 year battle with lung cancer, my prayer has been to remember the happy times more than the sad ones.  There were lots and lots of happy times, so today is a good day to share a few of them.

On one of our many cruises I wanted to do something special for L, so before departing the ship for a shore excursion, I ordered the Rose Petal special of the day.  It consisted of fresh rose petals spread throughout the room, a bottle of champagne, towels sculpted into a heart and kissing swans, and I think there may have been some chocolate there, too.  The preparations were complete by the time we returned and she was ecstatic when she entered the room and saw all of that!  It's the biggest grin I ever saw!  Plus the smell of roses filled the air and us.  It was a very special time.  She gathered all the petals and saved them in a champagne glass for a long time. 

That night we were at dinner with her sister Marianne and brother-in-law, Lou, she was telling them about the roses and enjoying it all again.  Then I asked, "Did you tell Marianne where you put the rose petals?"  To this day I'm not sure what Mar thought or heard, but she blushed bright red and started laughing like crazy.  "No, no!  She put them in the wine glass!''  I said quickly.  We all had a good laugh over that one.

On another cruise we decided to take a Segway tour for the first time, as it seemed to be a great way to get around without being too tiring for L.  That said, she was quite a trooper when it came to walking or climbing, thanks to to the pulmonary rehab program at Rex Hospital and the wonderful folks who work there.  Again it was the 4 of us, and after a short bus ride to the cricket field on the island, we had lessons to help us feel comfortable on this coolest of machines.  I caught on pretty quickly and got to start practicing on my own while our guide worked with each person individually.  LaVerne had a little trouble at first, but once she got it, there was that big grin again!  We climbed a hill to the top of an old fort, then off through a rain forest and even rode without hands at one point.  We all agreed it was one of the best times we'd ever had and hoped to do it again. 

Our last cruise was a 10 day trip to the Panama Canal and was one of the best for many reasons.  Our table mates were excellent, we learned magic tricks from the magician on board (which I still "wow" the grand kids with), we had a ball in a boat building contest and then there was the sloth refuge.  LaVerne later had her cousin, Miriam, paint a portrait of the 4 of us from the picture above and gave it to Marianne and Lou as a gift.  We also kept a copy. 

Every time I see this picture or the portrait, I have to laugh about finding the sequins from LaVerne's blouse in the darndest places the day after she wore it!   I mean they were EVERYWHERE, on me and her, and we had a great laugh whenever we found another one. 

There were many happy times for us and I'll share some more next year.  In the mean time, bon voyage, L!!!

With love,
Fred