Portrait of a hero - George

The following article was written by one of my good blogging friends is Grace from Blessed Elements. I hope you can stop by her blog and say hello!

My late husband has crossed over for several years now but he has left many  valuable lessons he taught us while he was here with us.

At fourteen he was involved in an automobile wreck that left him a quadriplegic.

His hospital stay was extremely lengthy and during his stay he amazed his doctors by regaining mobility of his arms.  Throughout his life his x-rays would always reveal to doctors that his spinal cord injuries would predict it as an impossibility for him to have full use of his arms but his love of life and his determined spirit would inspire people that a strong will and belief in yourself would open a door to miracles.  George clearly was not a handicapped person despite being wheelchair bound.

I remember several times his wheelchair being used as a vehicle for fun and laughter and providing quality time with my son and daughter.

A frequently visited restaurant had a long sloping sidewalk.  Each time we existed he would invite one to sit on his lap and one to perch on the back as they provided the shove off for the fun ride down the slope.  He often took the fear of being in a wheelchair that most experience and turned it into a fun episode and great memories.

His arm strength was incredible through his determination of not using an electric wheel chair.  One day driving home two tire blew out simultaneously on car while traveling at a high speed.  He kept the car on the road and brought it to a stop safely on the side of the road.  The police officer who came upon the scene was amazed at the strength this required.  He was an amazing man but what I remember best about him was his character.

He became the loving father to my two children and even today they claim him as their only father.

My daughter and son have many memories of the fun and life lessons he instilled. 

He was a loving husband to me and provided adventures and security during our marriage.

My fondest memory of his character was an incident which occurred over a dispute between his and a friend.  George never spoke ill of the man or repeated the incident to others.  During a conversation with a mutual friend, the man repeated some alleged harsh words about George from the estranged friend.  George’s response impacted my life and I accepted it as one of my characteristics as well.

Here was his reply to the mutual friend of his and the estranged friend.

“I don’t believe that Charlie ever said that or meant it in that way.  I’ve never experience any situation with Charlie where he ever spoke that way about a friend or past friend.  He doesn’t talk about people in that way and he wouldn’t talk about me in that way.”

To George, a friend was a friend despite any difference between the two.  He offered his hand in friendship whether it was accepted or not.