A loving good bye

I guess since I'm sitting here not tired I would go ahead and tell you that Emily passed away last week. For any of you who don't know who Emily is, I'll explain.

I worked for a man, Bob, and his wife, Emily, last summer. Bob is 93, Emily 89, and they have been married for over 65 years. They were practically inseparable their entire lives, and their love for each other reminded me a lot of the Notebook! Bob is half blind, which is why I was helping him in his home office. I would help him type, call his friends, and organize his office. He always told me he wanted to keep strong and smart for Emily through her struggling time. You see, Emily had Alzheimer's and dementia, among a few other minor things. She never really lost her memory, but one thing she did have a hard time with was believing bad things were happening to the ones she loved. She would make sure to call people every day to make sure they were still alright. In other words, she had a tough time separating her dreams from reality, and it was affecting her almost every day.

They truly are a special couple. Every time she would walk past him in his office, he would say, "Hold on Emily!" and run over to give her a kiss. She danced every time she wanted to show off her new clothes, and always always was dressed nice, including earrings and a dab of lipstick. She introduced me to okra, which I love now, and she had such a passion for gardening vegetables, which is something she talked about all the time. Of course, okra is something I tried because of her, but I don't think I'll ever try her and Bob's peanut butter and cottage cheese sandwiches. That's too adventurous for me.

Her memorial is the same day as my grandpa's, which is both good and bad. Honestly, it's probably the best weekend since I'll be depressed already and because I'll be in Bburg already, but I'm not sure I'm wanting to see Bob sad. He's always so optimistic, fun, and friendly. I actually visited them before I moved up here, and although Emily wasn't doing great, Bob was holding up for her. I have a slight feeling that he's going to go downhill fast now that she's gone. It's really sad to me, but I'm trying not to get too upset. They were two of the most loving, accepting, adventurous, and friendly people I've ever known. They both have lived such long lives, and they had each other til the end, which is something that is so rare nowadays. I guess more than anything, I am sad for Bob because Emily was his life.

They honestly are two special special people that touched my life in a huge way.