I used to see Bill at the Cancer Center. He was a very friendly man who kept me company as we waited in the lobby. He was in his 80s when he died just a few weeks ago. For the first time in over sixty years, his wife will be spending the holidays alone. I can't imagine how difficult it will be for her. Eating meals alone. Sleeping alone. No longer anyone to be her constant companion. No one to talk to, to laugh with, to hold.
Should she put up the Christmas tree or just leave it in the box? Christmas will never be the same without Bill's kind smile. All those wonderful days of love and friendship are now in the past. How many wives have lost their husbands in recent years? How many husbands have lost their wives? The holidays will be very difficult for those who have lost their life-long partners. I just hope their kids and other family members will remember them. No one should be alone at this festive (and often painfully sad) time of year.
