“Life lessons are caught, not taught,” said Louise. “I learned that from my Grandma Sophia who was born in Poland. Al is a doer. The kids saw that all their life. Parents must invest in their children. That’s their legacy. Kids should be home for dinner with their parents.” Favorite activities today? “Same as they’ve always been,” said Al. “Hunting, fishing, and golfing. And that includes bow hunting.” Replied Louise, “Anything that involves good fun people and good conversation. And I do love my pink bubble.” Five years ago the Lehners took an extra special trip. “I booked a flight to Germany,” said Louise. “I wanted Al to visit Berlin again, where he witnessed history in the making.” Said Al, “We went to Checkpoint Charlie. Louise wanted her picture taken there. I told the guys in uniform, ‘I was here in 1961,’ and one of them said, ‘Wow! You are the real thing. We’re just carbon copies.’” That particular trip included a sidebar to Prague, a city that wasn’t bombed during the War. “It was an amazing place,” said Louise. “Beautiful churches and bridges and exquisite buildings.”
*** After Christmas with their children and grandchildren, Al and Louise will again be off to their home in Florida where other pages are being written in their happening life, their overflowing life. Being married 50 years has not slowed them down. They operate in high gear and seem to find more hours in a day than God put there. This feature story could easily have been called Amazing Grace. Thank you, Al and Louise, for giving us a glimpse into the landscape of your very large life. Love, Sue. |
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November 2014 |
Al was stationed in Berlin in August of 1961 when the Wall was going up between East Berlin and West Berlin. He said it started out as a barbed wire fence and went to a ten-foot high concrete block wall. Checkpoint Charlie became the best known crossing between Communist East Berlin and Free West Berlin. The Wall fell in November of 1989. In 2009 Al and Louise visited Germany and had their picture taken together at Checkpoint Charlie. Said Al, "I told the guys in uniform that I was there in 1961 and one of them said, "Wow! You are the real thing. We're just carbon copies." |