Our Love of Golf

Golf has been an amazing and integral part of my life since I met my husband Don 27 years ago. Simply, while we were courting, he brought a long brown cardboard box into the house, put it on the bed, and said, "what do you think of this?" Surprised, I opened the box and inside was a 7-iron. I looked at him puzzled but smiled as he said "take some lessons." Not looking a gift horse in the mouth, I nodded ok as he excitedly finished his sentence "....and, oh by the way, the rest of the clubs are in the garage."

With that, this handsome gent invited me into his life and into a fantastic and rewarding golf venture....including 3 elusive holes in 1 (2 for him, one for me). 2-1/2 years ago, after 11 years as his care partner/caregiver, I lost Don to ALZHEIMER'S disease.

We golfed throughout. That is, for me, a boosting Joy moment that I’ve captured in my writing pieces—a poem, an encouraging note, a haiku, a book, remembrances that still boost my joy.

It’s important for caregiver’s to keeping the interactions that mean so much to their loved ones. While I saw that his golfing skills were deteriorating, I knew they meant something to this giant of a man.

And so, we golfed until we couldn’t golf anymore.