Deanna Klingel lives and writes in the mountains of western North Carolina where she lives with her husband, David, who was her childhood sweetheart. They’ve been married 51 years and have raised seven children.
Elder-Love -- Like a Fine Wine
I’m always delighted when I find or see a story about elder-love. I mean over 40. Most romances involve sparkling blue eyes and nice fitting jeans, furtive glances, mysterious jitters. I love to see love that has aged, like a fine wine.
My parents are ninety and ninety one; they’ve been married 73 years. They’ve lived in the same little house since 1946 when Dad returned from France. Dad is blind now, but until I took his car keys away, he was still working, delivering the town newspaper as his retirement job. He never considered not working in retirement. Work, after all, is what he did. Mom has been a homemaker. She took in ironings to make extra grocery money. Together they raised the three of us, my youngest brother with a severe birth defect. Mom has dementia now, and no longer gardens her flowers, irons or bakes pies. She reads the newspaper to Dad every day. She doesn’t remember what she read.
Neither are people who say “I love you” aloud. They hold hands when they walk and have always slept side by side in their little bedroom. I remember when they used to dance in the dining room. Dad could really polka! One never went anywhere without the other.
I called them in October to remind them they had an anniversary. Mom said, “Oh?” My dad said, “Oh, I know. Seventy third. It’s on Monday.” Good for you, Dad. Then he said, “You, know, I’d do it all again. All of it.” Ladies and gentlemen, this is romance. This is love. This is the kind we need to model to our youngsters. There are no smooth behinds filling out their jeans. Mom is like a little bird, maybe 100 pounds. Dad’s blind eyes no longer sparkle. There are no jitters. They are both confident in their love and rely on each other completely, every day. This is what love is. This is a love story.
Watch for my new release, Rock and a Hard Place: A Lithuanian Love Story. This is a true story of senior-aged love.
You can find out more about Deanna, and her upcoming release here:
Facebook: Deanna K. Klingel; book facebook: Books By Deanna
Twitter: @deannakklingel
Email: deannaklingel@yahoo.com
Thank you Deanna for joining us today.
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Blessings,
I love this. Nelson and I will celebrate our 35th anniversary in Februrary. Thank you for this beautiful example.
ReplyDeleteHappy anniversary - a few months early. :)
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