Do you believe in miracles?
Well, I’m here to tell you that Linda and I witnessed one first hand last night and we’re still reeling from the experience.
We don’t see our good friends, Dave and Marjean Dedrick as often as we should.
It’s always a fun time when we get together, especially in the summer when we can sit out on their front porch talking and laughing.
Dave quit drinking in 1978, but he still loves to play bartender and usually mixes them plenty strong..the way he’d like them if he ever fell off the wagon which..despite silly rumors to the contrary..he has never done.
We also used to love the outdoor visits at the Dedricks because everybody could smoke cigarettes without guilt.
Dave said he was happy for us when Linda and I quit nearly six years ago..but I think he was sort of disappointed too because we’d lost that bond that only smokers understand.
I’m constantly asked about Dave and how he’s doing 11 years after retiring from a 43 year career at Keloland.
Well, as he peeks over the edge towards 80, the answer is..Dave is doing fantastic.
He had a surgical procedure done several months ago to relieve back pain that he has endured for ages and now feels great.
His lovely wife, Marjean who honestly looks 30 years younger than she is, is also feeling better these days. A cough that’s been nagging her for years, seems to be disappreaing…which is part of the miracle I mentioned.
The Dedricks have been married three times..TO EACH OTHER!
The first wedding was performed by a judge because his folks had a problem with her being Catholic.
Eventually they got hitched again by a priest in the church..that’s two.
Then in the 70’s they got divorced….but didn’t care for that much…so after Dave gave up the booze..they married each other one last time.
While we were sitting on the porch last night and Dave was telling about his latest golf outing, I noticed something strange. His face was not obscured by a cloud of smoke.
That’s when he smiled and said, “seven weeks.”
Dave Dedrick, the last of the red hot power smokers..a legitimate three-pack-a-dayer, hasn’t had a cigarette in over two months!
Believe me or ask anyone who knows him, Dave was never going to quit. But he has..and that’s a miracle.
“Ahh, I said, It must be the 15 dollars a day that did it.”
Nope.
“Tired of having to go outside every public building to smoke?”
Nope.
“The doctor finally spotted something on your lung?”
Nope.
“What in the world, then, would ever get you to stop?”
That’s when Marjean spoke up. “He did it for me,” she said.
One doctor finally convinced Dave that his second-hand smoke was the likely cause of Marjean’s coughing.
And just like that, a 65 year habit was given up for the woman he loves so much he married her thrice.
If you’d care to offer some words of encouragement as Dave continues to wean himself off nicotine, I’m sure he’d love an e-mail
Captain11D@aol.com