“I have been married to the most extraordinary man for 26 years,” she wrote. “I was planning on at least another 26 together.”
Editor’s note: This article was originally published on November 27, 2019. It has since been updated.
Amy Krouse Rosenthal was on her death-bed. She had been suffering from ovarian cancer for 2 years. She was a loving wife of her husband of 26 years and a mother of two children. Even when she was in the crippling physical and emotional pain of seeing herself slip away from her world gradually, she wanted to make sure that her husband does not have to lead his life in loneliness and desolation.
Therefore, she published an open letter in a column called "Modern Love" on NY Times in a selfless hope of finding the perfect match for her husband. The letter titled, "You May Want To Marry My Husband" encloses various endearing incidents from their family life. Amy jotted down a few heartwarming qualities of her husband, Jason, so as to reassure his future partner that he is the stuff of dreams.
“I have never been on Tinder, Bumble or eHarmony, but I’m going to create a general profile for Jason right here, based on my experience of coexisting in the same house with him for, like, 9,490 days,” she wrote. “First, the basics: He is 5-foot-10, 160 pounds, with salt-and-pepper hair and hazel eyes," she wrote.
She did mention that suffering from the soul-crushing disease from a long time has rendered her weak but she wants to write it while she still could because she wants her husband to find love again after she is gone.
"He is a sharp dresser," Rosenthal wrote. "Our young adult sons, Justin and Miles, often borrow his clothes. Those who know him - or just happen to glance down at the gap between his dress slacks and dress shoes - know that he has a flair for fabulous socks. He is fit and enjoys keeping in shape," she described.
She also went on to explain that Jason is a responsible father and a husband who knows how to make his wife happy. "Here is the kind of man Jason is: He showed up at our first pregnancy ultrasound with flowers. This is a man who, because he is always up early, surprises me every Sunday morning by making some kind of oddball smiley face out of items near the coffeepot: a spoon, a mug, a banana," she added.
Amy Krouse Rosenthal is an accomplished author of 28 children’s books and two memoirs, reports NBC Chicago. While striking a chord with the readers is not a new phenomenon for her, this particular letter touched millions of hearts across the globe and proved that true love is always generous and selfless.
However, what will make you deeply wish that this tragic situation could be undone, is this verse of Amy's letter where her wish to stay back is painfully evident. "If he sounds like a prince and our relationship seems like a fairy tale, it's not too far off, except for all of the regular stuff that comes from two and a half decades of playing house together,' she wrote. 'And the part about me getting cancer. Blech."
After her tear-jerking open letter went viral, Jason responded to her letter in such words that proved that his love for Amy will never see an end. "It is Amy's gift with words that has drawn the universe in," the then 52-year-old said. "Unfortunately I do not have the same aptitude for the written word, but if I did, I can assure you that my tale would be about the most epic love story… ours."
But perhaps the most touching words were when he addressed his late wife's letter directly. "One thing I have come to understand, though, is what a gift Amy gave me by emphasizing that I had a long life to fill with joy, happiness and love. Her edict to fill my own empty space with a new story has given me permission to make the most out of my remaining time on this planet."
References:
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/03/style/modern-love-you-may-want-to-marry-my-husband.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/15/style/modern-love-my-wife-said-you-may-want-to-marry-me.html
