THIS PHOTO SHOWS MY HUSBAND BOB FEEDING CHICKEN TO A LITTLE PATIENT WITH BURNS.
I am sitting here in our living room writing this tribute. Next to me on the coffee table is a freshly-made mug of my favorite tea. That mug appears each morning in time for me to sip tea as I write Bible studies. And that mug of tea bears a silent witness to my beloved husband, Bob Young.
For some men, their love language is flowers or gifts or candy. But Bob’s love language is loyal service. In nearly 43 years of marriage, Bob has made countless mugs of tea for me. But Bob has also carried my supper to ICU conference rooms in children’s hospitals while I was a resident, has brought cross country skis for me so I might ski home when Memphis, TN, got hit by an 18-inch blizzard, has faithfully done our laundry, and has supervised our chaotic household in Ghana while I have served as the only doctor in bush hospitals. Through the years, Bob has repaired countless pieces of hospital equipment and has even assisted in surgery on occasion.
Bob is a kid magnet! Bob LOVES little kids and they love him right back! Here in our mission hospital, Bob brings biscuits and lollies to the kids and extra food and toys to children with burns so they will begin thinking about living and heal rather than giving up hope.
One of my recent treasured photos is of Bob feeding a little girl with burns small pieces of chicken. I have a short video of Bob dancing with the little girl’s brothers, who also were burned.
Bob has never met a stranger and can strike up conversations with anybody. My standing joke is that Jesus will return and we will be ascending to heaven and Bob will say, “Wait a minute, Lord! I have one more person to talk to.”
Bob excels at maintaining long-term friendships with all sorts of people. I have learned to be a friend from watching Bob. Thanks to social media, Bob keeps in contact with high school friends, church friends, and even people with whom he served in the U.S. Navy.
Bob passionately loves his family, particularly his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. One of the sacrifices we have made by being overseas is our inability to be “real” grandparents, to attend all the school programs, the musical performances, the graduations and weddings, and the birthday and holiday celebrations.
When I met Bob in 1981, I was entranced by his curly blond hair, his handle bar moustache, and twinkling blue eyes. Now that blond hair has become white, but the twinkle in the eyes is still the same and he still puts an Hercule Poirot curl on the ends of his moustache. We share a goofy sense of humor, and Bob can still convulse me with his animal imitations. Bob’s imitation of a gerbil is not to be missed.
Bob is a man of tremendous faith and reads large portions of Scripture each morning, including 5 Psalms daily. He also is kind enough to read my Bible studies out loud in addition to his other devotional readings. We love to share in worship services and listen to gifted preachers.
We are each other’s best friends. We must be, for we have lived in relatively isolated environments for much of our married lives. When girlfriends mention shopping together, manicures/pedicures, or eating out together, I simply say, “Good for you!” Such activities are simply impossible in our situation, and the money involved is far better spent feeding burned kids or settling medical bills for indigent patients.
We share several passions. We both love to be outdoors and enjoy nothing more than being back in Bob’s beloved home area and hiking trails he has taken with his father. We love to travel and see new things and enjoy new kinds of foods. We both love to dance, although an old back injury is beginning to limit Bob’s dancing career.
So, I come back to that humble mug of tea and Bob’s Bible, both of which are currently sitting next to my computer. Service and faith-these are the things I love most about Bob.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MY LOVE! MAY GOD RICHLY BLESS YOU, BOTH NOW AND FOREVER!
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