Molly's Stories — Dan Spier

Last year while Dan was in the hospital his relative wrote to me telling me that she was worried about me. She thought that the hospital stay was emotionally, physically, and mentally challenging for me. Dan had already been bedridden at home for 4 weeks followed by 4 weeks of intense physical therapy at home and during this time I lost 50 pounds without trying to lose weight. She suggested that I rest, eat, and pray. She also thought that I was the best thing that ever happened to her uncle. She stated that I had loved him, supported him, course corrected him, cared for him, been his friend and the love of his life, etc. She was sure that he would get through the stay in the hospital. I thanked her for her concern and wrote the following back to her.

Dan and I have been very good for each other. I have known from the very beginning when Dan asked me to marry him that he was changing his lifestyle to go down a totally different path with me. I knew all about him being the man about town. He also convinced me that I would be happy and content and less lonely with him. It has been and still is a very wonderful and fulfilling life. Don’t worry about me because Dan is very sensitive to my needs and very protective that I come home and rest. I’m not to clean house, etc. I am to sit and do hobbies, play games on my phone, and/or watch old movies. This recent journey has not been a burden for me because I am only paying back to Dan for what he did for me in December 1984. Just 5 months after we married I had to have a complete hysterectomy due to uterine cancer. I was out of school for 12 weeks. He washed me. He fed me. He consoled me about never being able to have children much less grandchildren. At the same time my mother was in Kennestone Hospital dying. Dan was so kind and loving not only to me, but also to my parents. Taking care of Dan all of these years is the very least that I could do to repay all of his kindness and loving during a very hard time in 1984. Dan and I have always had so much respect and admiration for each other that our relationship has just been very natural. There is not anything that I wouldn’t do for Dan because I know in my heart and soul that he feels the exact same way about me. I have a deep and abiding love for Dan.

She wrote back that she respected this beautiful story of the truly perfect love and marriage.

Molly Spier, August 2023

CHATTAHOOCHEE, Daddy, CHATTAHOOCHEE

To go from our house in Marietta, Georgia, to Atlanta, Georgia, you have to cross the Chattahoochee River. I was born in September 1947 in Atlanta, Georgia. Being my parents’ first child they were anxious for me to excel at everything which I did except for talking and walking. When they thought that I should be talking baby talk, I just stared at them. They began reading all of the road signs to me and the names of everything else that we saw or crossed while in the car. I was in a jump seat between them in the front seat of the car. This went on for quite a long time. One day coming back from Atlanta my daddy forgot to say, “ Chattahoochee, Molly May, Chattahoochee”. I promptly said, “Chattahoochee, Daddy, Chattahoochee”. Daddy promptly turned the car around and drove back across the bridge while staring at me. I just looked at him and Moma. I thought why should I say it to you again because I just told you what it was!!!! Thus I began to talk and have not stopped to take much of a breath in 76 years!!!

Walking was a problem also because I could crawl so fast. Daddy and Moma tried everything to get me to walk by myself. I would hold their hand and walk, but I would not walk by myself. One day Uncle Laymon and Aunt Lula came to play Canasta with my parents. I was crawling on the floor before the card game started. Uncle Laymon held up a silver dollar coin and said that he would give it to me if I stood up and walked across the room to him. I stood up and walked across the room. Then Moma who was on the other side of the room held up another silver dollar coin and I walked over to get it in my new white laceup high top shoes which I still have. I have been in a vertical world ever since.