Yes, I remember the very first time I reached for your hand as we strolled down Main St. You jerked your hand away. I was so hurt and the tears flowed. Later, you tenderly said to me, “I am so very sorry,” and then you explained how you weren’t used to and had never ever shown any public display of affection with any other person. I totally respected your feelings and honesty.
You were my sweet introvert.
How times have changed!

I, on the other hand have always been a very out-going, warm and loving person, who is very spontaneous. I am always ready to show my love to that special person in my life. I am truly an extrovert.

As the years have gone by I have seen the sparkle in your beautiful brown eyes as I reach for your loving hands or kiss you unexpectedly.
You have learned what it is like to have a wife that loves you unconditionally and always will forever and ever. You know that no matter what comes up in our marriage I will always be there for you.

When times have been tough, your beautiful sense of humor has really made a big difference, but our faith in our Loving Savior is what really sustained our marriage. The times we pray together, when I read the Bible to you every evening, when we do for others who are in need. Those are the times that have brought us closer together.

I still cherish my note you taped above my computer:

~Just Doin’ Gods Work!~
Love Dick

That has meant so very much to me, knowing that you understood my long hours at the computer answering prayer requests or finding graphics and gospel music for my web-site pages to spread the Word of God to others.

We both knew God had given us a true *Miracle* on April 26-2002, when he saved your life. Oh yes, Dr. Love had told us the night before surgery, you had a 2% chance of survival, and he did not think you would survive the surgery. But the alternative was not good at all and you chose to trust God, and what a magnificent blessing that was.

You had 2 aneurysms, one 9 cm. and the other 11 cm. (literally the size of nerf footballs.) There had been a third one that had leaked itself dry because of all the pressure inside of your chest area. Thank God it leaked instead of just bursting. Dr. Love said the dried up tissue and blood was still there on top of one of the remaining aneurysm’s.

The whole medical team at Madison were all amazed that you were still alive. Dr. Love said it was the biggest surgical procedure ever done in his department in that hospital and that it certainly was the biggest he ever has done. Then he went on to say he would have rather done a complete heart lung transplant on you if he would have had any idea what he was going to find when he opened you up. That surgery went on for 13 ½ hrs, while Mike and I paced the floor, knowing full well though that no news was good news.

When Dr. Love finally came to us in the waiting room, his words were:
“It is over, he’s alive, but the next few weeks are critical.” He could not tell me you would survive even after all he had done. He explained about the new metal heart valve, the hole he sewed up in your precious heart, the 2 huge aneurysms he removed and the whole new aortic graft. They were not even sure they were going to be able to remove you from the ventilator, as when he opened you up he said he took one look at your lungs and if he would have known how bad they were he would never have even done the surgery. All Praise goes to God, our Loving Father in Heaven. When Dr. Love had finished telling us all that details I hugged him and thanked him for saving your life. He replied, “I did not save his life, you both have someone else who loves you very much.” Thank God for doctors who believe in Him and give credit where it is due. Yes, we do have God on our side and we have been aware of this for a very long time now. He has blessed our marriage so many times now and continues to do so.

Dr. Love and all his staff and all the people who worked with you called you their *Miracle Man* Word spread fast about how God had worked a true miracle at their hospital. Yes, He certainly had.

I continue to think of how calm you were the evening before your surgery. You lay there so quiet and peaceful. I wanted to stay with you but you told me you had a big day tomorrow and Mike & I should go get some rest. You said you knew it was going to be tougher on us than it would be on you. You were probably right about that as after hearing the doctors prognosis I was simply terrified of the prospect of losing you. I called our Dear Friend, Jimmy and he immediately got the prayers going for you. The prayers that our Loving Savior answered.

After living in the hospital for three weeks we both were ready to come home. I asked you about the calmness and peace I could see on your beautiful face, the evening before your surgery and you replied, “I knew God was going to save me.” Then you told me that every day we had together beyond the surgical date was a bonus for us, another blessing from God! How right you have been!

When you went for your year check up in Madison we were told by Dr. Love that you also have an abdominal aneurysm and they saw it at the time of your heart aneurysms surgery but it was smaller and it posed no serious risk at the moment, and they had way too much to do just to keep you alive. We have given this problem to God to handle as He knows best and He will handle it in His way in His timing.

We have decided we have more important things to do, like Praise God daily for His many blessings, pray for our world and all that live in it, including praying for world peace and unity. But most of all we thank God that He brought us together so we could walk through life hand-in-hand, allowing others to see what true unconditional love is all about. The kind of unconditional love we all get from God himself.
It is there for the asking. Our job here on earth is to spread the Word of God and win souls for him. If you walk hand-in-hand with God your life will change dramatically for the better.

When our time of being together, here on earth, is over, My Darling,
I know that whoever is left behind will miss the other so very much, but we both feel we have had the best that God had to offer so don’t forget the *drill*. You have always told me that the one who leaves first has to bore a hole in the cloud to pull the other one through!
Then we can forever walk those golden streets of heaven forever hand-in-hand. Always And Forever My Darling!
 

Hand In Hand Forever
By Dede Haas
Nov. 6-2004