One of the features we truly liked at our new apartment was the swimming pool, particularly since we had it to ourselves. Having been married in the blizzard of '78 the warm weather in tropical Houston, by comparison, was meant to be enjoyed and we did. The people who did notice us in the pool gave us some rather strange looks but we didn't mind.
In addition to spending a lot of time holding each other. swinging each other around, and putting our feet together and shoving at the same time, Marilyn used some of the time to swim, her version of swimming. (Thinking back, this might be why she insisted that each of our children take true swimming lessons, with certifications at the end.) She mostly kept her head out of the water and kicked rather strongly, also at the top of the water. The splashing sounds her feet made reminded me of the stern-wheeler we had just seen in New Orleans, the Natchez.
I was a little indiscreet when I supplied the Natchez steam whistle to accompany her paddle wheel sounds, after all, she had her head out of the water and could hear me.
By the next year we were not swimming in March but were still wearing our winter coats like native Houstonians. Besides, we were no longer at the apartment and had not yet joined the Jewish Community Center. But we never used any other pool as playfully as we used the apartment pool our very first year in Houston.
Marilyn lost her life to cancer but was able to truly "live" until the very end due to a lymphedema garment from Don Kellogg, inventor and founder of Telesto-Medtech. It is due to the "living" he provided Marilyn and through his suggestion and connection with Saskia Thiadens of the National Lymphedema Network that the Marilyn Westbrook Garment Fund exists. It needs other people's help to remain a living memorial of Marilyn. Please help other people receive the gift of living by donating to the Marilyn Westbrook Garment Fund. Thank you.
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