Once upon a time a man I know retired. The man was not sure if he would like being retired. For the first month or so, he did not like it. But soon he realized there was nobody telling him what to do anymore or no one depending on him and he liked that part. However, he also realized he was in fact “home alone.”
So, he got a beagle puppy from a rescue organization. He named his beagle “Maggie” because Maggie Mae was his wife’s favorite song by Rod Stewart. This man and his wife Liz had spent many nights listening to songs from Rod Stewart, the Beatles, and other groups from the 1960’s. Some nights they danced together until Liz began to have a hard time dancing because she had a disease called MS. But the dancing didn’t stop completely.
Sometimes the man would hold her up, if she felt like it, and they could still slow dance together for a few minutes.
On some nights, the man would dance along with the faster songs for her. He would act silly and make her smile and laugh at him. On nights when they were both too tired to dance the man would play guitar and sing some of their favorite songs to her.
The man loved her more than life itself and would do anything to make her happy. He knew she loved him the same way, but he also knew she was always tired and in pain. The smiles and laughter did not come easily for her like they used to.
Liz had succumbed to the disease a few years before the man retired. I think he kept working during those years because his heart was broken and he was afraid of being totally alone both day and night.
But now at least he has Maggie the beagle. She is quite a handful and keeps him smiling. The man was not so foolish as to think a beagle could fill the hole in his heart that was left by losing the love of his life. It had been love at first sight and a marriage which lasted 48 years. But at least he was no longer completely alone. He and Maggie now listen to music together. He plays guitar and sings for her, and she usually does not howl.
The man still dances and acts silly. Maggie cannot dance, but she does try by jumping around and barking. That’s something to see.
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June 21, 2026 at 8:20 pm
Dennis, this absolutely wrecked me in the best way ❤️ 48 years of love, and you can feel every bit of it in the way you wrote this. Holding her up so she could still slow dance for a few minutes when she was too weak to stand on her own. That’s not a moment you write to impress anyone. That’s just what love looked like in your house.
Maggie barking and jumping around while you play guitar I hope that sound fills your house the way it needs to. Liz sounds like she got the love story most people only dream of having. Thank you for sharing this one, Dennis.
June 21, 2026 at 9:05 pm
What a beautifully written, heartfelt life story. Thank you for sharing this with us.
June 21, 2026 at 9:49 pm
Dennis, a beautiful, sweet story. Memories to cherish! 💕 What a cute dog! If Robert and I were not allergic, we would love to have a cat.
I lost my husband, Drew, in 2003. In 20014, I met Robert, and we have been together ever since. We talk freely about our past, and I think Robert feels he knows and admires Drew, though they never met. That is a great comfort to me.
It is a good thing to remember partners and family members we have lost and the wonderful experiences we shared, even though we live mindfully in the present.
All the best! 🌻