My Mom and I attended the memorial service for my uncle this past Saturday. He was my mother's younger brother, and his name was Stanley, but he was always known to me as Uncle Curly. A stern looking man with a booming gruff voice, I was a little afraid of him when I was a child, but he was actually a sensitive, gentle man. Uncle Curly was a career Navy veteran, married to my aunt for very nearly 50 years. I am more than a little concerned about how she will do now, without her life's mate by her side.
Watching her at the service, I couldn't help but reflect on how special and rare it is that they were together, best friends, for so many years, through all of life's ups and downs; good times and bad. Through wars, and babies, bills and vacations, and cancer. To me, they are a sweet success story in the book of love.
I always thought I would be like that.
Turned out that I wasn't part of one of those kinds of couples. As hard as I tried to make things work, (or thought they were working) in the end, it didn't, and it was brought to my attention last week that I could've-should've admitted seeing the bright light of day much sooner and I would have spared myself the financial devastation I am going through now.
True enough.
But...
Hindsight always seems to be 20/20. I guess I am was a hopeless romantic, who, looking back, clearly overlooked or outright ignored large flashing warning signs in order to preserve my own personal fantasy of happily-ever-after. I'll now accept the blame for that, but I do know, in my heart of hearts, that I did the very best I knew how to do, at the time, whether or not some one else see's it as a weakness or a defect in my character.
I have no doubt that my aunt and uncle did some overlooking and forgiving over those nearly 50 years as well.
