A Love...Like No Other?
A love… Like no other?
Love? Imagine this.
You’re at a social event, and a young girl catches your eye, and you’re a single guy that just might be looking for a relationship.
As she walks by you, you smile and ask for her number, and instead of saying yes she says, “don’t worry about the number, I’ll be able to find you.“
You shake your head, laugh, and walk away.
But then, to your surprise, she does find you!
And after several dates you fall head over heels… The only problem? It’s a long-distance relationship.
So for three years, you go through the planes, the long-distance dating, the excitement, the headaches and everything else until you say… Enough!
You both decide you need to be together 24 seven, the only problem?
This woman who you fell in love with, has cystic fibrosis, and there’s no guarantee she’ll make it even another eight years.
Welcome to the life story of my very good friend, Chuck Andrezzone, and his gorgeous wife Heather Champagne, who met in 2001.
In 2011, I was the luckiest minister in the world, as they requested that I marry them on a beautiful beach in Florida.
The day was incredibly cold, the wind was fierce, we are out on the beach and the microphone couldn’t compete with the wind and as I’m doing the vows I’m screaming over the wind and the waves and everything else, and we had an amazing time!
Heather had gotten out of the hospital after a procedure just two days before, and arrived with her beaming smile!
The hospital? That’s not getting in the way of her wedding.
Windy, cold day? No, we’re not doing it inside we’re doing it outside!
Heather was a beautiful force of nature, incredibly funny, outrageously loving and so determined and headstrong at the same time.
Chuck had been, “warned“, by her family that this was not going to be an easy ride.
At the age of 27, she had already had 20 operations, and knowing you’re marrying someone that might only live another seven, eight, or 10 years is a daunting idea, isn’t it?
But not for Chuck!
He had fallen in love, in his words, “150%“, and nothing was going to get in the way of him being with the dream of his life, even if it meant she only had a few more years to be with him before she would pass on.
Their years together were absolutely amazing!
Heather went through another 20 operations, including an incredible double lung transplant, which had given her at least another six years to live with Chuck!
And then the time came, for her to go to the next level, to return to God.
Just over a week ago, I received a call from my good friend Chuck, asking me if I would be the minister at the celebration of life event for his wife Heather.
It was an incredible opportunity for me to give back, to serve two people that I loved deeply.
I had begun two weeks ago our grieving course with Chuck, I had offered it and said I thought this might be the best time to begin, as soon as possible, and he agreed.
Within 24 hours he was doing the written work, and within a few days, he had written the most compelling love letter ever that I would read at the celebration of life for Heather.
What he wrote was absolutely stunning, beautiful, phenomenal.
How many men do you know, that have the strength and the capability of love that my friend Chuck exhibited?
How many men do you know, that would marry someone, knowing that they only had another six, or 10 years at most to live?
How many men would marry someone, who knew that even if she made it another 10 years there would be multiple operations, and multiple health scares on the way?
When I think of what a real man looks and acts like, I think of my friend Chuck.
When I think of what a real man does when he falls in love, regardless if the woman has 10 children, or two years to live, or some other incredible challenge… Real men step up to the plate and serve their partner with love!
At the celebration of life ceremony, I had a chance to share a couple of things that happened that morning as I was preparing and praying to God for the ceremony.
I had just finished praying for everyone who would be in attendance, I had just finished praying for Chuck, and so I sat down and looked up at the heavens and said “Heather, I love you too!“
At that moment, where there was no breeze, a huge gust of breeze blew through our backyard!
And with that breeze came the strongest scent of jasmine I had ever encountered!
The breeze only lasted a minute, and then it was calm again.
I looked up at the heavens and smiled, “thank you so much, God!“ I know Heather was with me, I knew that she was pleased and that the event would be a combination of tears, joy, and laughter!
And that’s, how the day ended up.
Being with my friend, his family, Heather‘s family was an absolute blessing for me, and all I can think about is the power and strength of my friend Chuck, and how he exhibited unconditional love to his wife Heather for those 10 years.
Many years more than they thought they would even be together!
We all have challenges in life. Love is a challenge by itself.
Accepting our partner when they have traits that may not be perfect, while not terrible, but not perfect, isn’t the easiest thing to do.
As I read through Chuck’s six-page love letter in front of the audience for Heather, he consistently reminded us how much she loved life!
He consistently reminded us, that she was always saying “don’t sweat the small stuff!“
He consistently reminded us of what love looked like, the way he looked at Heather, the way she looked at him, the way he embraced her, the way she embraced him!
Love is a many splendored thing.
And when you commit yourself, to serving your partner like my friend Chuck did, you now know how incredible love truly can be.“
David Essel’s work is highly endorsed by individuals like the late Wayne Dyer, and celebrity Jenny McCarthy says “David Essel is the new leader of the positive thinking movement.”
His work as a counselor, and minister has been verified by so many organizations, Psychology Today, Theravive, Therapy Tribe, and marriage.com has verified David as one of the top counselors and relationship experts in the world.
If you would like to work one on one with David in his grieving process, or his love program, reach out to him directly at www.davidessel.com
