Color Love Brown

My mere words don't do this story justice. ....Newbies; Click the photo for close-up

What are the odds of meeting someone born on the same day as yourself? What are the odds of falling in love with someone born on the same day as yourself? What are the odds of meeting and falling in love with your high school sweetheart who happens to be born on the same day as yourself? What are the odds of meeting, falling in love with, and marrying your high school sweetheart who happens to be born on the same day as yourself? What are the odds...Heck, what are the odds of any couple staying married for 75 years, period? Pretty incredible, wouldn’t

you say? ...There’s more. 

 

Just in case your mind hasn’t blown yet because you’re a product of the 60s, what could possibly be the odds of meeting, falling in love with, staying in love with through high school despite its lofty expectations and demands,  marrying and remaining together for 75 years still deeply in love with the same one person who happens to be born on the same day as yourself? What’s more, try and grasp the freakish idea of a man and a woman so deeply in love that they could never separate. Not one day in 75 years.

 

Makes for one amazing fairytale, does it not? Like my story so far?

Well, guess what? I didn’t write it! It’s not even fiction! Believe it or not,  this is a true story ripped straight from the headlines on Thursday, July 26, 2013, and if you haven’t heard it yet, please allow me to introduce the stars of the greatest love story I’ve ever had the pleasure of having grace my eyes and ears. 

 

Mr. and Mrs. Helen and Les Brown, of Long Beach, California, were born on New Year’s Eve, 1918. They eloped on September 19, 1937 at age 18 because both sets of parents believed a marriage between an already-wealthy young and confident man and a common working-class girl would be a huge mistake and would not succeed in lasting (my best guesstimate; they probably thought young Les was merely tastin’ the wild cherries on the other side of town). Well, succeed it did for 75 years, until death did they part.

 

As their youngest son would tell it, his mother would say often that she never wanted to see her husband die before her. His dad said he never wanted to live a day without her. Unfortunately, he would... but just one. 

 

Helen Brown passed away Tuesday, July 16, 2013 at age 94. 94-year-old Les Brown died the very next day, the only day apart from his wife in 75 glorious years. Born on the same exact day and year, passing one day apart. Living without looking into each other's eyes every morning for only 18 years of 94. Does it get any better than that?

 

I am not, nor will I ever be too much man to admit that this beautiful love story tugs at my heart something fierce, and forces me to fight back tears even as I type this polished rewritten copy. I’m also fully aware, pleased to realize and openly admit that from this point on, anything I’ve written, will ever write or read will fall short of capturing the magic of the Browns' story, and as I bring this piece to a close, I cannot help but see the vivid image of a beautiful, rejuvenated, grace-filled and illuminating woman arriving at heaven’s gates...and remaining there for about 24 hours. 

 

 

 

Author's Note

For all the hopeless romantics out there that love a good feelgood story.