Several years ago my cousin Leona was told that her husband Vic showed early indications of Parkinson’s, plus another equally debilitating condition for which as yet there is no cure. Vic had worked for BC Hydro and had also built a number of homes after retirement.  They are now living in the most recent home, a well designed structure that speaks of a master builder’s wonderful attention to detail.

With her buoyant personality, sense of humor and  capacity to commit, Leona has also experienced a good deal of success.  In an earlier career as a realtor, she was easily in the top ten percent in listings and in sales.  To help their sons get started in business, she entered into a partnership with them and they opened an eye glass outlet.  Based on a bedrock of integrity and excellent service, the business did well. Before long they expanded to other centers and into the hearing aid field.

Then came the diagnosis that caused Vic to lay down his hammer and saw and hang up the ladder in his garage for the last time.  Leona’s participation in the business venture with their sons didn’t cease entirely, but she resolved to make Vic her #1 priority.                                                                                                                                

 Under her fun loving, quick to laugh exterior,  there abides a deep commitment to her husband.  He isn’t someone to be discarded when difficult circumstances arise.  She thinks of him as her life partner.  “We are going to ride this out together,” she says.                                                                                                                          

“I’m going to keep him at home as long as I can manage.  If it becomes necessary, I’ll mortgage our house to keep him here.”  Vic’s condition presents some difficult challenges and she has already hired live in help.

When we visited at their home recently, Linda and I were impressed by Leona’s total commitment to him.  “I won’t sell his pickup truck or his work trailer,” she said.  “And I won’t get rid of his tools.  That is all part of who he has always been.  I won’t take them away from him.”

Leona’s determination to maintain a comfortable, undisturbed atmosphere in the home is proving to be helpful to Vic.  When we were there, he appeared relaxed and seemed to be enjoying life.

A week before Leona’s recent birthday, he began each day by wishing her a happy birthday.  Each day she said, “no, it’s not my birthday yet.”  When her birthday did arrive, she responded to his happy birthday wish by saying, “yes Vic, today is my birthday.”  He said, “I just didn’t want to forget.”

For Linda and me there is a valuable lesson in Leona’s unswerving commitment to Vic. 

A stranger might have assumed that a recent Celebration of Life at Abbotsford Pentecostal Assembly was for a political or entertainment celebrity. The spacious main floor of the sanctuary was crowded to capacity In a sense, popular Abbotsford blogger Kristin Erickson was a celebrity, but not for the usual reasons. She was a 41 year old wife, and the mother of 4 children.

On October 29, 2012 she was told she had cancer, and began writing in a wonderfully engaging and poignant manner about her battle against the illness. She wrote of excruciating pain, of radiation and chemotherapy, of surgery to remove a kidney, of her love for her husband and children and the joyous moments with them, of her trust in God, and much more.

Like thousands of her readers, I never met Kristin, but came to feel I knew her.  In the relatively brief time of her illness, there were approximately 150,000 visits to her blog, ( which you can find at canadiankristinconnected.blogspot.ca). In spite of the tests, many days lying in a hospital bed, the numbing pain, her diminishing strength, she had a powerful desire to communicate with readers.

To the end, she was determined to spend quality time with her husband and children. She expressed deep appreciation for the support of family and friends. She praised doctors and nurses for their attention and care. Repeatedly, her trust in God and her love for people crept into her writing.

She battled on courageously to the end, always clinging to hope, never allowing bitterness to overshadow her predominantly positive message. Kristin’s love of life and people, her humour and courage inspired readers around the globe. Many responded with notes of appreciation and encouragement.

She leaves behind a legacy that many celebrities would envy.

For about 2 years I’ve been observing an 85 year old man at Menno Hospital where my father is a resident. This man, John, is not a resident but a visitor. He comes in at 10 am to spend time with his wife Teresa 7 days a week. The fact that Teresa has Alzheimers and does not recognize him seems not to deter him. “I still recognize her,” he told me. John feeds Teresa lunch and dinner, addressing her lovingly as “sweetie”.

When he was told to come in for a minor surgical procedure at the General Hospital, he said,”you’ll have to give me a different time, that is when I feed my wife.” At mealtimes he puts aprons on the other residents and has a cheery word for each one. Sometimes he comes to my Dad and gives him a quick back rub. Often I hear him whistling, as though to give expression to an inner delight.

Inspite of his age and some personal health challenges, John is absolutely and wonderfully committed to Teresa and to the other residents. When I see him leave sometime after 6 in the evening, I often notice that his feet seem a little heavier, and his expression is more serious. Even so, there is an aura about him that suggests he feels fulfilled at having once again lived up to his commitment to the woman he still loves deeply.

Observing John, I have decided that he has learned to live with a sense of abundance and joy. Without realizing it, he has become a mentor to myself and also to many of the workers at Menno Hospital.