Throughout my life I have loved nine women.  I loved each one a little more than the previous one.  And I felt each one loved me a little more than the previous one did.  They all had something, actually, many things,  in common, especially the ability to love and the ability to laugh.   Each one was a slightly better person than the previous one.  I like to think that they all made me a better person than I was previously but I am not really sure.   If I failed to become a better person, it was my fault, not theirs.  My relatives and friends loved each one of them.  They were so alike, sometimes they could not be told apart.  I could always tell them apart; sometimes it took a little time.

They were all beautiful.   As I got older and physical beauty became less important, each one was more beautiful than the previous one.  I did not chose them for their beauty. I was fortunate that it just turned out that way.  There was no jealousy between any of the nine women.  They were not even aware of the others.  Other than the first one, I don’t remember choosing them or them choosing me.

They each laughed at some of my jokes and wisecracks, but not all.  If it wasn’t smart or funny, they would tell me so.  Usually they could keep me humble.  They held me to a high standard in all matters, as they should have done.

Number two gave birth to my beautiful son.  They were all wonderful mothers to him.  They could all say “No” when necessary, but not easily.  The seventh woman became a grandmother and gloried in the role.  The eighth took over and watched the two little ones in amazement with unbound joy.  It is sad that it didn’t last that long but it is full of wonderful memories.

They are the nine best people I ever knew.  Their capacity for love was endless. If they knew you, they could love you.   I learned to share their capacity to love with our  friends and relatives.  Without even thinking about it,  they taught me empathy and compassion.  I was a slow learner.  They all had courage handling what life dealt them.  None more than the eighth woman who also had an abundance of grace.  The ninth woman taught me that you don’t have to be physically present to teach, to express love, to set an example, especially to be loved and feel love.  They were fearless.  Maybe it was because from the beginning each of them believed that there was a God, that God was good and, in their case, would not give them more than they could handle.    Even the eighth woman, who some thought was challenged by God,  never stopped believing this.  I believed in all of them as they believed in God.  They never let me down.

At the end I could not save the eighth woman.  Love conquers almost everything.  The ninth is deeply, deeply embedded in my heart as are all of her predecessors.  My love for them all grows more and more each day.  What a life they gave me!

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