In Flight Again

Superman has taken flight. Lois Lane has joined him for the flight of all eternity. As I clicked on my computer this morning, I was shocked to see that Dana Reeve had passed away from a disease that we think should not have been hers to begin with.

I don't remember her has an actress, I remember her as the wife, companion, love-no the "angel" on earth of Christopher Reeve. This angel gave her life completely to her husband and son. I remember her telling us that Christopher would walk again. We wanted to believe this because he was Superman.

Dana became his legs. She traveled this country many times over to attend conferences, fundraisers, seek out alternative medical treatments and much more. She also attended school activities with their son always being mindful that home was most important.

She became his arms. These arms would hold him and comfort him when he could no longer comfort her. These arms would feed him, bathe him and wipe away all of their tears. These arms would applaud the smallest of accomplishments. These arms would hug her in the middle of the night when there was no one else around. These arms would turn the pages of the photo albums and remember lives that had changed forever.

Dana became his voice when he was unable to speak at all. She knew his heart and knew what he wanted to say. As he struggled to speak, she would complete his sentences for him. She was his spokesperson.

This woman took her grief public and allowed us the privilege of knowing her family and watching them grow. I'm sure there were times when she was not as strong as she appeared because after all she was not Superman--she was his wife. Dana carried her family through the roadblocks that were put in their way.

In the last few months, we didn't see her very much except when she told the world that she would beat this illness. We wondered if she would because we thought she was wrong about Christopher, he never really walked again. I prefer to think of the movie when Lois Lane falls and Superman swoops down and catches her. No, they're not walking. Superman is flying carrying his beloved Lois Lane,--it's her time.