It’s been 5 long years since the love of my life went to be with Jesus in the wee hours (1:16 a.m., according to the doctor attending Joanna in the hospital) of February 14, 2021. In those 5 years, I’ve written thousands upon thousands of words about Joanna and what she meant to me, which was everything. In the past few days, as I’ve approached this sad 5th anniversary, I realized that there’s not a whole lot left for me to say. At this point, maybe it’s more helpful to go back and look at what I’ve already written, just to be reminded of the feelings that my family and I, as well as Joanna’s many friends, have experienced since her passing. It’s funny, though, that when I looked back at my blog post of August 14, 2023 – the 2½-year mark – I found that I had said much the same thing, that I had run out of things to say about Joanna. I guess I should know better by now – I’ll NEVER run out of things to say about Joanna. However, apparently every 2½ years, I find myself needing to rest, recharge, and reflect on what I’ve already written. Seems to be a pattern here.
Suffice it to say that the passage of time hasn’t made things any easier for me. In other words, whoever first said that “time heals all wounds” had apparently never lost his or her spouse of 44½ years! I still miss Joanna as much as – probably more than – I missed her the moment 5 years ago that the doctor told me she had passed away. As the years have passed, and I have deeply pondered things I had come to take for granted, I’ve become more and more aware of just how blessed I was to have Joanna in my life for 48 years. I find myself wondrously amazed that this special woman chose to spend her life with me. Joanna loved me – that is an amazing thought for me to comprehend! How blessed I have been. I have become even firmer in my conviction that I do not want another relationship. No one could ever measure up to Joanna in my eyes, and no relationship could ever come close to what Joanna and I had for 48 years. It wouldn’t be fair to me or to the other person. I am more than content with my wonderful memories.
For now, I’ll just point you to the 31 blog posts I’ve written about Joanna in the past 5 years. That’s not counting parts 2 through 15 of my series on my “nostalgia tour” of Denver in 2024 – all of those Denver memories involve Joanna in one way or another.
All but two or three of the 31 posts focus on Joanna exclusively, but she figures prominently even in those two or three. Maybe you’ll see one here or there that you missed when I first published it. There’s a lot of good stuff in these blog posts, for two reasons: one, I’m a pretty good writer, if I do say so myself (and I do); and two, Joanna’s an endlessly fascinating subject, and we had a wonderful life together. I just wish it had lasted longer.
These blog posts are listed in chronological order. To read one, just click the picture. Enjoy!-
