Grief is difficult to cope with.
Many people find it hard to let go of the pain. Some say it’s better to cry it out; others believe that they should divert their attention and spend their time keeping busy. But no amount of any of those two can amount to the grief felt after losing someone you love so much.
This 98-year-old retired judge was in great grief when he lost his wife.
Keith Davidson is a retired district court judge who lost his wife Evy to cancer in 2016. They were married for 66 years. His grief was understandable. Losing someone so important to you and who was with you for that long can bring a lot of pain.
“You just can’t imagine what it’s like. You cry a lot. That’s just the way it is because she’s not here,” he said in an interview with KARE 11.
The following year, Keith had enough of the grief.
He decided that he can turn his lonely home into a place full of joy. That’s when he decided what the neighbors thought was a crazy idea – but an amazing one at the same time.
He installed an in-ground pool in his backyard.
The pool is 32 feet long, and the deepest point is at 9 feet just underneath the diving board. What was once a quiet home that was filled with sadness is not filled with the joy of children’s laughter since Keith opened his backyard pool to the neighborhood.
One of her neighbors couldn’t believe what he did.
Jessica Huebner said that he saw Keith marking his yard during the spring and told her husband about it and amazed that Keith pushed through with his plan. Since it opened, Jessica and her kids frequent Keith’s place.
“It’s him spreading joy throughout our neighborhood for these kids,” she told KARE 11.
Keith has three children but no grandchildren.
However, the kids who visit his pool almost every day make up for that. As his neighbor, Jessica, told him, it’s like he adopted the entire neighborhood, and they are now all his grandkids.
Oh, the happiness in Keith’s face when he sees the children enjoying.
His only request is that children be accompanied by their parents or grandparents to look after them in the pool. This does not only help Keith make sure that the kids are safe, but they keep him company as well. The neighbors also enjoy talking to the retired judge.
It’s not only the children who enjoy the pool.
Keith has his own pool time, too. He dips in the cool water from time to time, right after the kids are done for the day.
When asked about this decision, he said he has no regrets.
“I’m not sitting by myself looking at the walls. What else would you think of doing where you could have a whole bunch of kids over every afternoon?”
Keith found a whole new happiness, indeed.
This doesn’t mean that he has forgotten his wife. She will forever be in his heart and memory. He just chose to slowly let go of the grief and turn his energy into something that could positively affect the lives of others.
And we can all agree that this is a great way to honor Evy’s memories.
Please SHARE this with your friends and family.
