Heartfelt Emotions Shape Many Lives
Some loves last forever. Some have a duration rate. Some never stand a chance.
Beth: “I met an old friend whose marriage of 37 years had just ended due to his wife’s love for another man. He is the dearest person, and I couldn’t stand to see him unhappy. He told me he had tried to commit suicide when his wife told him she knew the marriage was a mistake since the day of the wedding. I went home and thought and thought about this dear man’s pain. For some unknown reason, a woman who worked for my doctor came into my mind. She had been rejected by her husband of 25 years for another woman. Once, while I was waiting to see the doctor, she had said to me, ‘You seem to know nice people, so if you know of a really nice single man, please keep me in mind.’ It was over a year ago.
“I called her that day and gave her his phone number. But she couldn’t call. So I gave him her phone number. They set up a lunch date, and he tried to cancel three times. He’d call me and say he had no idea how to act since he hadn’t been on a date in so long. I told him to just tell her that and see how it went. They set a time limit of two hours so that either could leave with no embarrassment. But they clicked instantly. They have not been apart since, and they married six months from the day they met.”
Judy: “It’s pretty hard to sum up a 25-year relationship in one paragraph, but I guess two words would almost do it: unconditional love. Rich and I met at work. We dated a couple of times, then drifted in different directions. After I ended a relationship, I called him. He asked me what I was doing that weekend, and I said, ‘Going to the Wisconsin State Fair with you.’ We dated for four years before we finally married.
“The early years brought many challenges. We were told we had little chance of having a child. In spite of the odds, we were blessed with a daughter. Our mothers learned to accept and eventually care a great deal for each other. They both suffered illnesses and helped the other during them. They passed on within six months of each other.
“Rich has supported me through difficult times at work and has always helped with housework. When his job was eliminated several years ago, I kept up his morale until he was reinstated. He hasn’t always agreed on the best way to raise our daughter, but he accepted my judgment many times. I can honestly say we have never had a fight.
“Rich plans to retire next year, though I will continue to work. (He is nine years older than I am.) We have hopes and dreams of doing things together. I look forward to it, even if it’s just a walk in the park. He treats me like a cherished friend and makes me feel beautiful. I am so grateful to have found him.”
Bonnie: “We met in grade school. We were a couple all through high school. We broke up a couple of times but always got back together. We pledged our love and vowed we would get married after college.
“Freshman and sophomore years were hard; we were in different states. Junior year I transferred to his state, but still different schools. The strain of wanting to be part of the fraternity parties and date like the other guys got to be too much for him. He broke up with me, and I was devastated. We both graduated, and he married a girl from his school that summer. My heart was broken, and I became involved with a married man with children.
“The worst part of the story has yet to be told. When I finally got away from the married man, I married the first man who asked me. I thought I loved him, but now, 27 years later, I realize I have never gotten over my first love. I still have dreams about him, and they always have the happy ending I thought I would have someday. Every time I wake up and realize it’s a dream, I am sad beyond words. Now I am getting a divorce from the man I married on the rebound. I hope to find a soul mate, like the one that got away.”