A Gift of Love

I played tennis with the Dean (we each won a set 1-6; 6-3) and witnessed a very special gift of love. A woman who had played for many years - she was a fine consistent player who was often on the courts several times per week - is recovering (we hope) from a life threatening bout with cancer. Over the years I never saw her husband on the tennis court.

This morning he was there. My friend was obviously weak. She could only hit the ball - with little force - for about five minutes. Then she would have to sit down. Her husband had brought a bag of tennis balls and was standing in front of the net. He would throw the balls to her and she would hit them. When she had it for five minutes or so, she would sit down and rest. He would go to the back of the court pick up the balls and stand in front of the net, ready to throw again when she was rested. He had nursed her through the more difficult stages of her cancer - I know from a previous conversation - and was now helping her with this phase of her recovery.