Hi Dr. Laura,

I am a long time listener and fan. Last year was a year of great loss for me. My husband of 22 years passed away in April (complications of Leukemia), and my mother-in-law passed away in October at the age of 95. My friend also lost her husband in October and my nephew's father-in-law passed away shortly before Christmas.

I am very blessed to have had all these people in my life. My husband was a veterinarian and much loved in a community where he practiced for 40 years. The outpouring of support was (and is) amazing. What stuck with me most was how many people told me what a good man he was, not just how much they appreciated him as their veterinarian but how they appreciated him as a man.

When I read "The Proper Care and Feeding of Husbands" he told me I was already on the right track and that you helped with the fine tuning! When I asked him if he would swim through shark-infested waters to bring me a lemonade, he said he already had because we were both scuba divers! Then he looked at me and said, "Yes, and I'd go back for more ice!"

That was the man I married. I think I chose wisely and treated kindly. It was a privilege being married to him and I loved being his wife. He was a man of great wit and humor, intelligence, integrity, determination, compassion, concern… I could go on. I know I will miss him every day for the rest of my life. I'm hopeful the pain of loss will decrease. When I think of how he lived his life (he never said, "Why me?") it inspires me to live my life well. He made me a better person. I think we made each other better. I'm part of his legacy now and that will never change. I'll remember his wonderful sense of humor and smiling blue eyes and what he wanted most was for his wife to be happy.

Thank you for all you do Dr. Laura!

Nora