As I was running through a cemetery today I saw an elderly man sitting by a grave. It was obvious to me that it was a new site. He looked up at me with glistening green eyes, blue jeans, a long sleeved flannel shirt with one sleeve unbuttoned, and some big ol’ farmer boots. My heart went out to this man and I hadn’t even met him yet.
We started talking and he told me how he had lost his wife last Friday to a terrible stroke. As we continued to talk to one another I was beyond intrigued by all the stories he started telling me about his lovely wife Joanne and the beautiful life they shared together. Jim told me there love story and how they met back when she was in 8th grade and he was in 9th… this was a love at first site kind of story if you couldn’t already tell. ?? Yes, I had just met Jim but I felt like I had known him for years! We ended up sitting in silence for a brief moment until a big smile reached his face! This is one of the parts in our conversation that made my heart so unbelievably happy! He said he would always call her his “peach in a million.” <3
He went on to tell me about how well she loved others and how they had been members of there church for as long as they were married; which was 64 years!! He shared with me that there church family and his other farmer friends, had been helping him with daily chores around the farm and house as well as being there to comfort and pray with him. Another adorable comment he made about his wife was how he was blown away by all that she did. He said she cooked, cleaned, took care of the farm, took care of him (insert a sweet chuckle from him here), and made sure to love and spend time with family and people in their community. He said he has no clue how she did it all. I enjoyed hearing more about her and how she grew up on a farm, was always known to be a hard worker as well as an excellent wife and mother of six! Joanne is truly an outstanding women of God!
Later on in our conversation he told me about an accident that happened somewhat recently where an extremely heavy farming machine fell on him which resulted in him breaking his back, both collarbones, crushing his ribs, and putting him in a coma. It is crazy because the doctors said he had less than a month to live, but sure enough he came out of the coma. And there I was sitting down with him in the grass listening to him share with me how his wife took great care of him after he woke up from the coma! I’m sharing this part of his story with you all because he still struggles with every day activities and tasks such as farming, cleaning, and cooking. He even shared how sometimes it takes him 20 minutes to button the right sleeve of his shirt because his left hand shakes so bad. If you all would join me in praying that his body be healed, the pain would leave in Jesus’ name, and that people would continue to reach out and go through life with him, I truly believe it will happen!
As our conversation was coming to an end I couldn’t stop thinking about how blessed I was to have just met Jim. After only a brief conversation with this extraordinary, humble, and amazing man, I felt incredibly blessed. He has left me with a beautiful memory to look back on. And though I have never lost a loved one so close and dear to me, my heart goes out to him during this extremely difficult time.
Spending this time with Jim today taught me many lessons; one of those being to slow down and to enjoy the little things in life. There is so much beauty all around us and many relationships that are waiting to be formed if we give them a chance and the time. Another reminder I got from meeting him was to never hold back encouraging words and compliments that we have for people around us; to always tell people what makes them so special to us or why we appreciate having them in our lives. It is true, we never know how much time we have on this earth so it is important to love and build one another while we are here. I was also reminded to cherish life and to remember that even when things are difficult, hectic, or overwhelming to remember that there is still good in each day. And his story showed me that God is still in the business of miracles.
I hope Jim and Joanne’s story can bring you all hope, comfort, and joy. I thank God that I was able to hear and learn from their beautiful love story!
