The news these days is often depressing at worst and frustrating at best. It’s easy to get caught up in the spin cycle and let it get us down. Never fear… The News Blender has you covered. Once a week, we feature Something Good and, in return, all you have to do is tell us something good that has happened to you this week, something you are thankful for, a joke, a cute animal story, an inspiring tale of heroics, a Random Act of Kindness… SOMETHING good!
Today’s Something Good is reunions.
Fred Paul and Florence Harvey were high school sweethearts 68 years ago and spent every available moment together. For two years the couple held hands, went for walks, stole kisses and went to concerts.
Now 84, Fred told CNN, “She was my first love. My first girlfriend and my first true love.” Every night he would flicker his porch light before he went to bed to say goodnight to Florence.
When Fred was 18 and Florence was 15, Paul moved to Toronto for work and they were separated. He came back two years later for Florence, but she had moved away.
They each married and started families. Fred had two children with his wife and Florence had children wth her husband.
In 2017, Florence’s husband died of cancer and Fred’s wife died of dementia in 2019. When Florence heard, she called Fred to offer condolences and hope that the grief would get better.
They talked and talked – reconnecting after all the years of being apart, they ended up talking for hours every day. In July Florence travelled to Toronto to surprise Fred for his birthday. When she arrived, he hugged her and gave her a kiss on the cheek. He held her hand and knew his heart belonged to her, Fred says.
Three days later, the reunited couple knew they wanted to be married. They were married in August with just a few guests because of Covid. Their vows were spoken with full understanding of the promises they were making to each other – Fred was starting treatment for stomach cancer a few days later.
During the ceremony, Florence said to Fred, “You were the first young man to walk me home in my teens. I guess you’ll be the last man to walk me home.” Fred got out his accordion and sang the Ricky Skaggs song, “I Wouldn’t Change You If I Could,” to Florence.
Paul Invany, the minister who officiated the wedding, said this was the most profound and moving ceremony he’d ever been a part of. He said, “There were tears in the eyes of all gathered. You couldn’t help but feel you were watching a real, live miracle, that you were witness to an unimaginable love story.”
Now it’s your turn, tell me something good…
