The Last Green Valley

by Mark T. Sullivan

Every morning before and after Emil’s death, Adeline got out of bed in Bozeman and went down on her knees, thanking God for their miraculous good fortune. She ended her day the same way. People who knew her for decades said she was relentlessly cheerful and grateful for every blessing she’d been given in life.

his escape from Communism, her escape from Communism, and her endless gratitude for the country that had finally taken them in. “God bless the United States of America,” Adeline said. “Only in America is a story like ours possible.” Indeed,

“You know, I used to think life was something that happened to me,” she told one old friend as she was beginning to fail. “But now, I know life happened for

me.”

Looking back, Adeline said she could see the entire incredible arc of her journey, how everything

that happened to her and Emil had indeed seemed to prepare them for the next, more difficult challenge, both of them learning and adapting the entire way.

“Don’t chew on the bad things that happen to you, dear. Try to see the beauty in every cruelty. It sets you free. Forgive hurt if you want to heal a broken heart. Try to be grateful for every setback or tragedy, because by living through them, you become stronger. I see the hand of God in that.

“This is an American story, an immigrant story, a spiritual and universal story. May we all dare to chase such dreams, experience such grace, and lead such miraculous lives.” —Mark Sullivan, Bozeman, Montana, July 21, 2020