The photographer who broke the internet’s heart – BBC News

I just want to hold this sweet little girl in my arms and make her feel safe….all children should feel safe and cherished and that we live in a world where children are not cherished above all, makes my heart break.

Families of Conn. vets celebrate passage of suicide-prevention bill

Let’s hope this helps.

Lost Love

One of the things I love most about being a Nurse is being able to talk to people from every background, ethnicity and geographical location in the world.  I went from being a shy young Nurse, to being able to carry on a conversation with just about anyone.  I love talking to people.  I love finding out what makes people tick.  I love to learn about different cultures.  One of my favorite groups of people are my Veterans.

One year, I was working in an outpatient unit and found myself working with a large group of Veterans. Their ages varied from late 20’s to late 80’s.  There were men and women from WWII all the way down to Afghanistan.  It was my birthday so, I announced that for my birthday, I was going to give each Veteran a hug.  As they were leaving, they all came to me to get their hug.  One particular Man was in his late 80’s.  He walked up with a shy smile and I gave him a hug.  As we hugged, he whispered in my ear that he couldn’t remember the last time he’d been hugged.  That brought tears to my eyes and I hugged him an extra long time.  He got a hug from me each time we met from that day forward.  I got to know him.

His story started when as a young man he met and started dating a young woman.  He fell head over heels in love with her but, not long into their relationship, there was a problem.  His family began hearing rumors that his true loves Mother.  Her Mom was rumored to be an alcoholic.  Back in those days, unlike in modern times, your family had a lot of influence over who you married.  His family told him to break off the engagement and this tortured him. He truly loved her.   He finally found the courage to break it if in the most heartbreaking of ways.  He joined the Navy during World War 11.  He just left one day and never told her why or where he was going.  How heartbroken she must have been.  We then had an ongoing conversation about his experiences during war-time.  He seemed to look forward to our talks and was honest and open with me, the words he had kept inside so long pouring out to me, the one person who had bothered to ask.

One day, our conversation steered toward the woman he had left behind some 60 plus years prior.  I asked him if he had ever found out what became of her…he said no.  He never married or had any children of his own.  I was about to found out why.  One day during one of our talks he reached into his pocket and pulled out his battered wallet.  I figured he was going to show me his military ID card but, what he showed me stopped me in my tracks.  MY eyes fell to a picture of a woman with dark hair and beautiful eyes.  The age of the picture did not defy the fact that this woman’s smile could light up a room. She was beautiful.  I asked him if that was her.  Our eyes locked and he gave me a tiny nod.  He was still in love with her.  That is why he never married.  He kept her picture in his wallet all those years.  She lived the rest of her life not knowing what had really transpired when the man she loved was suddenly gone without a trace.

In showing me that picture and sharing his story, that man had let me into a place in his heart that until them he had kept completely to himself.   I was grateful that he had trusted me enough to share the deepest parts of his heart with me.  It was an honor that he trusted me.

About a year after our first hug my patient, and now my friend, died.  I was sad but, felt good about the relationship we had built on that fateful day that I decided to hug all my Veterans.  I can only hope that he left this world will a little more happiness than he had prior to us getting to know each other so well.

I think of him often and now never hesitate to strike up a conversation with someone I know is a Veteran. I have learned more about love and life from these people than I ever would have had I not opened my heart to that Man so many years ago.

He taught me not to let any chances to pass you by…..especially when it comes to love.