My husband and I have been friends and lovers for 40 years now. That is hard to imagine. We met in a church parking lot. After my father died at age 50, just after my 16th birthday, my mother moved us back to Indiana and we happened to join his family’s church, the United Church of Christ. I remember my image of him from that first meeting. He was tall and energetic, throwing his head back as he talked, and full of ideas. He kind of made my head spin. I was rather amazed he was talking to me and stood there and listened to him talk. He seemed rather “stuck up”. And he wanted to change the world.
We both became members of “Up With People,’ a national singing group organized locally, that supported the oneness of humankind. We sang songs like “If MORE people were FOR people, all people everywhere, there’d be a lot less people to worry about, and a lot more people who care…” It was hokey but positive. He first talked to my sister, who found him interesting as well, but then he talked with me on a long walk home from a group choir practice. I think our hearts were connected on that night but it was just the beginning. We had NO IDEA what we were in for!
I cannot begin in this post to tell our 40-year story. But what I know is, from that first night to today, his enthusiasm for causes and being involved has never faded. He has only matured in practice. I have had to learn to develop my own skills and interests, and we have both had to mature GREATLY, in order for our union to survive. We have managed to do that, only through the grace of God. We now have 4 adult children we are proud of, a daughter-in-law and son-in-law we love, and 4 absolutely AWESOME grandkids with more expected. We have the most solid friendship ever. It’s been a long, hard road, but we have reached the point of no return and now share the joyful memories of love over a lifetime.
Doctor Grandma 
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