Resilience

Resilience~
an ability to recover from or adjust easily to misfortune or change

That defines my longtime friend pictured above perfectly.

About 24 years ago she married her soul-mate Michael.
One of the most Gorgeous men you have ever laid eyes on..
He modeled for Vogue Magazine, in Italy.
He was a beautiful person, not only on the outside, but truly beautiful on the inside even more so...

Quiet, NO Ego, Loving, Compassionate and he Adored Diane...

They got married and were the most adorable couple..so deeply in love were they...
I was so happy for them. They had a beautiful wedding...it was almost dream~like.
It was so very long ago now....

A few weeks after they were married, one morning Mike told Diane casually...
that when he died, he wanted her to donate his organs.
Just like that. Out of nowhere...and she told him OK, she would and that when she died she wanted him to have hers donated as well.

He was a bodybuilder..not one of those "hardcore" bodybuilders...a "natural" bodybuilder. He was in excellent shape...he worked out at Golds almost everyday when he was in town.

One evening he was riding his bike home from the gym and he was hit by a drunk driver.
He was killed instantly.

They had been married less than one month.

I was on my way to work and heard it on the radio...
I went in and told my boss that I couldn't work that day...
I drove right over to her house.
She was barely able to speak..not was I.

It took her a really long time to get over Michael..we talked about it today. I have not seen her in 20 years.
She is remarried, she has a beautiful little 5 year old girl named Bianca...

Michael still visits Diane...
he even knows Bianca. She told Diane that he visits her and that he (quote) "is like my daddy, but not my daddy" ....
"he watches me play sometimes"
This brings Diane such peace and comfort...
he visits Diane too she said..
he tells her that he is so happy for her and he likes her new husband Matt.
He thinks Bianca is beautiful and loves watching her play.

Diane did donate all of Mikes organs and when she signed the form that asks.."Would you like to know who the organs went to" she checked the box "No" and she told me today that at times she wished she would have marked that box "Yes"...but maybe it is better that she did things the way she did them...but she does often wonder...who has his eyes...who has his heart...

I love her so much and love that she is so happy now...
she does define Resilience though...if anyone does...Diane does.