CHERISH YOUR LOVED ONES


Christopher Reeve's wife, Dana Reeve, has just died of lung cancer, only one-and-a-half years after Christopher Reeve passed away. Dana was an amazing woman who faithfully cared for her husband after he was paralysed from an accident, even though his paralysis was so extensive that he could not even breathe without the help of a respirator.

What heartache she must have suffered these last few years! The stress obviously took its toll on her. She loved her husband to the very end, even at the expense of her own well-being. Not all spouses can be as faithful and loving in the face of such trials.

Just last week, I heard that a young wife from my town broke under the stress of being the main caregiver for her semi-paralysed husband, venting her frustration daily by abusing him both verbally and physically. The abuse culminated in a particularly vicious attack one night when she beat her husband in bed, kicked him off and continued her attack with a broom, wielding it with such fury that her grandmother intervened by using her own body as a shield to try to protect the poor invalid husband.

Edna Hibel, the award-winning artist whose products I feature in my website Cherish Collectibles, is known for her romantic, Impressionist/Renaissance-style depiction of loving families and humanity. The tenderness, warmth and devotion portrayed in her artwork is somehow comforting in a world which is hurting from broken relationships and violence. That probably explains why Hibel art and collectibles have been popular for decades. Hibel's work reminds us all of good old-fashioned values, and precious family bonds.

If only people would focus on cherishing their loved ones more, while they still have them, rather then looking out for flaws. Life is too short to be wasting a single moment. I know Christopher and Dana Reeve would agree.

Live richly, love deeply. The storms of life will always threaten, but you'll survive if you build your relationships on strong foundations.