Paul McCartney--last visit with George Harrison #beatles #paulmccartney #ringostarr #larryking

When I think of the Beatles, I think of love. Some of their beliefs were messed up, they fought, they had so much conflict, but when I see interviews of them collectively or individually, I see the love they had for each other. This was my favorite moment of this interview.

My family never said, "I love you." My parents never showed affection towards each other, and the first time I thought maybe my parents loved me was at 19 when I saw the tears in my father's eyes as I boarded the bus for the military. It shook me up so much, I never got over it. The first time I thought Dad loved me, I broke his heart.

But when he died, I got him alone, hopped up on morphine (him, not me), and no one was in the room, I prayed the sinner's prayer with him, told him I loved him, and it was beautiful. I didn't tell anyone about it for years. If Mom or a family member had been in the room, they would've yapped 'till I was forced to leave. But after that time, I felt peace about his passing.

My favorite uncle died years later, just weeks before George Harrison. His passing was sudden and I didn't have time to get my leave of duty to go see him. I was a pallbearer at his funeral, but could hardly compose myself. He was gone, and I wasn't ready. But like Paul and John, I remember my uncle had said some things that upset me during and after my wife left me and I was ticked at him. I never told him, I just put some distance between us for a few years and then in 2001, as I was heading back to my military base, he phoned me at Mom's and said, "So what are we doing tomorrow?" and I said, "Nothing, I'm heading back." I felt a sudden sadness in his voice, something I hadn't heard from Bushy (his nickname) since his mother passed in 1974.

Months later, I phoned him out of the blue and we talked for hours. The next time I visited home, I invited him over, let him talk 'till he put us all to sleep, walked him to his car, and in my heart I forgave him and took extra effort to listen and just to love this old man.

He died three months later, and I'm so glad I repented of my resentment. It spurned me to write a poem about him and send it to my aunt in 2002, when I was deployed to Germany.

"In Your Honor
My friend whom I miss so much
I'll never forget the times we had together
How I felt when you pulled into the driveway
When the doorbell rang
The rumble of your voice
That wouldn't stop
When you said,"There's little Mikey!
All was right in the world

The stories you told us
Over and over and over
The same ones each time
As if they were new
As if we didn't already know them
Like our favorite songs
We knew all the words
But wanted to hear them from you
Just one more time

Your wave of silver hair
Your waddling gait
Your profane way of sneezing
Your profane way of thinking
Your sheepish grin
How you'd study about everything
And I'd watch you leave
Knowing you would never be mine
And follow you to your car
Not being able to tell you
I loved you
But as you drove away you paused,
Flashed your headlights to us,
Perhaps not able to tell us
You loved us too

I'll never forget the phone call
That cold October morning
As I lay awake unable to sleep
I saw us smiling again
And wondered if you ever knew
You were great
I was a little closer to heaven
Because you took a piece of me there
With you

I carried you that last time
Unable to look at the flag over you
To hear the twenty-one shots
Fired for you
They cut me in two and I turned away
Unable to salute my fallen comrade
What are we going to do now?
It was you, you who was always there
For you my dearest Uncle Bushy
My brother in arms
My friend
All I can offer are tears
In your honor"

At my age, I miss a lot of people dearly. Most won't talk to me anymore, too busy to know me, and God hasn't blessed me with a spouse although I've loved and do love, I spend my time with my Yorkies.

So this really grabbed me. Jesus said we should love one another as He loved us. Disregarding Ringo and Paul's personal beliefs, right or wrong, God loves to see us love each other in truth.