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PLAINS TWP. &mdash; The Captain and Tennille sang &ldquo;love will keep us together&rdquo; and that sure holds true for Charlie and Anna Mae Haddick of Swoyersville.
				Charlie called me the other day to tell me the story of how he and Annie &mdash; that&rsquo;s what he affectionately calls his wife &mdash; spent their 56th wedding anniversary.
				Let&rsquo;s just say the Haddicks did not spend this momentous occasion where they wanted to, but, they sure did spend it the way they always have &mdash; a romantic candlelight dinner.
				Charlie said he and Annie thought their story should be shared and I agreed.
				&ldquo;Even the COVID-19 virus can&rsquo;t stop love,&rdquo; Charlie told me.
				And he sent me a picture to prove his point.
				Charlie and Annie were married 56 years on April 18. Every year Charlie takes Anna Mae out to a special restaurant for a great anniversary dinner.
				But with the coronavirus pandemic, plans had to be changed.
				But one thing was certain &mdash; Charlie and Annie were going to celebrate their 56th anniversary with a romantic dinner and they did.
				Instead of going out to a restaurant for dinner, Charlie took Annie to Gerrity&rsquo;s Market &mdash; wearing protective masks &mdash; where they bought a large chicken, took it home and made a big pot of chicken soup, which they ate at home over candlelight.
				Like Charlie said, &ldquo;The virus can&rsquo;t stop true love.&rdquo;
				This story should be told because it speaks to the fabric of what makes us such a formidable foe for COVID-19. As it has been said, &ldquo;love conquers all,&rdquo; and people &mdash; loving people like Charlie and Annie &mdash; prove that.
				Never before has this country or the world been faced with such an enemy. And we are battling back every minute of every hour of every day against this virus.
				And if you are paying attention, we are winning. It&rsquo;s not over, but the numbers are changing. As long as we keep doing our self-isolation, social distancing, our lives will return to some form of normalcy.
				And when that day comes, let&rsquo;s all celebrate in the most joyous of ways.
				And let the story of Charlie and Annie be one example of how we get through these tough times. Let them be our guides to a better day.
				Now, there are many of you out there with similar stories of true, ever-lasting love like Charlie and Annie. You are the fortunate people who have something others have not shared.
				Me included.
				But I, too, will choose love in this battle &mdash; love for my family, my friends, my fellow human beings around the world. I have the hope and faith that all of us will get through to a better day.
				And just to be sure, I think I will have a bowl or two of chicken soup and I will light a candle. And I will celebrate all that is good as we continue the fight against this virus.
				When it&rsquo;s over and we can be together again, I will cherish the times yet to come to spend with family and friends and we will celebrate.
				And I will be the first to raise a glass to Charlie and Annie and to all who have kept their love strong in the face of this pandemic.
				Love really will keep us together. It has worked for Charlie and Annie and all of those others who know the power of love.
				Stay strong. Stay safe.
				Keep love in your heart.

Coping with Corona: Keep love in your heart