I Do, I Did, Whoopee

This is my first blog post as Mrs. Linda Hemby. I still haven’t gotten used to the idea yet, but all good things take time.

I know I’ve joked a lot about getting married at an extremely “advanced” age, but today I’d like to get a little serious. As you may have heard me say before, Stewart and I both had a first marriage that resulted in ten children between us—six for him and four for me—which marriages ended in divorce due to our spouses’ desire for drink over family. While I was living in Connecticut, Stewart was living all over the country for his job. Eventually, we both moved to California, me to San Diego and he to the Los Angeles area. We both remarried and lived quite a few years in an unhappy situation until both our spouses died in 2014 and we both ended up moving to North Carolina to be closer to our kids.

Speaking of our kids, it just happened that thirty-five years ago his son met my daughter in California and tied the knot. Stewart and I both attended the wedding, but paid no attention to each other. He was with his second wife and I was between marriages. 

Once we were both in North Carolina, family events brought us together more than a few times and, of course, our kids made sure we sat next to each other so we’d have someone our age to talk to and relate to.

All of this is a lead-in to the purpose of this blog which is, it took us both nearly eighty years to find true love. With Stewart, I finally have a husband who is educated, knows something about everything, has a sense of humor, and treats me as an equal partner. He doesn’t put me down or make fun of me. He actually thinks I have a brain and a few worthy ideas. Who knew a husband could be like that! He trusts me, respects me, is a true gentleman, says grace at mealtimes, and loves me.

The first time around, I thought I loved my husband, but I also, at twenty-one years old, felt like I was on the road to spinsterhood. The second time, at fifty-five years old, I settled, figuring my chances of ever getting asked again by someone were slim to none. This time, I’m not settling in any way, shape, or form. I feel fortunate indeed to have found the man God had been grooming me for all these many years. If God has spent this long preparing us and orchestrating the situation for sixty years, who are we to argue?

Moral of the story: It’s never too late as long as you’re open to the possibilities.

Quote of the Day #1: Sometimes God makes better choices for us than we could have ever made for ourselves. Jennifer Hudson

Quote of the Day#2: When we look backward, we see that God was in control even when it looked like our lives were out of control. Steve Farrar