Monday, November 18, 2013

Florence Nightingale

I have called this 21st Century nurse extraordinaire Florence to disguise her real name of Christine. Christine is my beloved wife and the person to whom I owe so much. If it had not been her careful and patient nursing of me during the first week out of hospital after I had been operated on for  a quadruple heart bypass  I would have surely died - it's as simple as that.

William Shakespeare - All's Well That Ends Well - (1603)

I cannot give thee less, to be call'd grateful:
Thou thought'st to help me; and such thanks I give
As one near death to those that wish him live:
But what at full I know, thou know'st no part,
I knowing all my peril, thou no art.

4 comments:

Janice said...

A wonderful tribute to your lovely wife, Alden - she sounds like a very dear person, and a kind and loving partner! You are a fortunate man.

Alden Smith said...

Janice, when yachts are speeding before the wind in the great southern ocean some of the waves are soooo huge that a yacht can get caught nearly vertical as it races towards the huge waves trough - sailors call this 'going down the mine' - thats what happened to me surgically - I went down the mine - Christine helped me more than I can say to get out of the waves trough and up to the crest of the next wave.

Kate said...

Awww. So nice. I have a whole lot of posts to catch up on!

Alden Smith said...

Thank you Katherine - I am enjoying blogging again - in fact being alive is a very useful condition for doing lots of very pleasant things :>)