My middle sister and I were just talking in our drive from the airport about the string of deaths today.
Farrah Fawcett
Michael Jackson
Dr Jerri Nielsen FitzGerald (well I had that wrong, she died 2 days ago… )
I have to say, we were very very impressed by Ryan O’Neal’s clearly true love for Farrah Fawcett. She had been a gloriously sexy and beautiful woman. But later in life, her originally physical beauty had changed with facial plastic surgery gone bad. And then the ravages of her cancer. Which is not in anyway to say she became “ugly.” Rather, her physical beauty was not there as it had been previously.
And Ryan O’Neal wanted to marry her, he was so in love with her. And stood by her side throughout her ordeal and battle with cancer.
O’Neal, a very good looking man himself, often called “a pretty boy,” clearly, well, who could blame him for falling for her years ago… perhaps in initial physical attraction? I don’t know and really I’m not saying on conjecturing. Rather, often for men, the initial CATCH of attraction is physical, to that which is physically beautiful.
And clearly he was a man who fell in love with HER. Farrah’s essence. Her personality, her drive, her sweetness. HER.
And in the end, when her physical beauty was diminished, his LOVE for HER was not.
This is really what so many of us want.
True Love
Lasting Love
REAL LOVE
I define REAL LOVE as the love we give when we CHOOSE to love. When love, after time, after more than a year, more than a few years, when love is no longer a whim or just the feeling, a sentiment, but knowing the other, all of our human foibles, and we then CHOOSE to LOVE them.
That’s REAL LOVE.
And that is the love for Farrah Fawcett which Ryan O’Neal had.
God bless him. Keep him in your prayers, because that man likely feels totally bereft and will for awhile.
As for Dr Jerri Nielsen FitzGerald , Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett, God’s Speed on your journey. All three of you enriched our lives.
Thank you
April Braswell
Darryl Pace says
June 26, 2009 at 3:34 PMHi April,
Indeed, God’s speed to each of them.
Lynn Lane says
June 26, 2009 at 6:42 PMApril,
I can only imagine the pain and grief of Ryan O’Neal. My wife of 25 years is in stage 4 cancer and redefines courage day in and day out.
Thanks for the post April.
Lynn Lane
Duane Cunningham says
June 26, 2009 at 9:09 PMHi April,
Thanks for your amazing post…these people have had an impact on me as a youth and I will always reemeber what they brought to the world
Duane
Don Shepherd says
June 27, 2009 at 5:21 AMwhen i comes down to it we are all equally mortal. celebrity or not each of those families is going trough a tough time. I’m sure they would benefit from Bereavement Support & Grief Recovery.
John Ho says
June 29, 2009 at 7:48 AMApril,
Love is always fascinating – the union of human souls.
John Ho
Steve Chambers says
June 30, 2009 at 7:33 AMAnd now Billy Mays can be added to the list. Sad.
Steve Chambers
JJ Jalopy says
June 30, 2009 at 1:37 PMThis was beautiful.
Thanks April.
Anthony Lemme says
June 30, 2009 at 8:54 PMBeautiful love story. I hope to have that some day.
Anthony
Pam Schulz says
July 15, 2009 at 8:35 PMGreat example of love that is an action not just an attraction.
Pam
Lisa McLellan says
July 26, 2009 at 7:09 PMWhile I do have a heart and feel sad for anyone who loses a true love, I can’t help but think at the same time that it’s too bad Ryan O’Neal didn’t have a little bit more of that love for his daughter Tatum. I watched a television show one time about how horrible he was to her and how jealous he was when her fame surpassed his own. I am particularly sensitive to those sorts of things.
Lisa McLellan
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