As some of you may know, I have been married twice. I excel at guilt, and the breakup of my first marriage after multiple decades together still can weigh heavily on my heart.
Ron worked for a time in the same office where I had a part-time job. Eventually, he moved back to his hometown, nearly two thousand miles from where I lived.
One day I got a call from the receptionist to ask me if I could come and claim the flowers which had arrived for me. Who would send me flowers? Well, it turned out that the receptionist had shared the news with Ron that my mother had died.
I responded to his gift with a thank you note. But instead of reading it and tossing it out, he wrote back with questions that seemed only polite to answer.
What I hadn’t counted on was that he was unstoppable. Once he began, he never stopped writing letters, usually chock-full of questions. His questions to me, with descriptions of his beloved home state, friends, history, jobs, and every other topic under the sun, kept flowing. Once we began, we never stopped writing letters to each other.
We learned about each other through those letters. We were friends, but over time that friendship grew, and eventually, he and I married. He had two daughters, nearly my own age, and I had one daughter still in high school. We wrote letters to each other during all the years we were together.
The letters between us touched upon every aspect of our lives. The Good Lord seemed to watch over us as we corresponded and talked to each other via snail mail and phone. No subject could not be tackled together.
Shortly after Ron’s death, I started to re-read our letters to one another. But I didn’t get very far. They were so emotionally overwhelming that I had to put them away for another day. I wanted to read them, but I could not. I couldn’t read them without grief raining down on me.
For sanity’s sake, I put them further away. Then, as my aging brain is wont to do, I forgot where that place was. Off and on since that time, over the past two years, I have hunted for the letters and have never been able to find them.
Recently one night, I cried in frustration and asked the Lord’s help to find our letters. The Good Lord heard my prayer and led me straight to them. Five minutes later, in a place I would never have thought to look was that vast treasure trove.
I have our letters again, and this time, my tears are tears of Joy & Thanksgiving! Thank you, Jesus!
What a treasure to have and hold!! God is good!!
Oh Ann, I’m so glad you found your letters! What a precious gift!
BEAUTIFUL!!!
God helps us, especially when the NEED is GREAT!!! Praising God that you found them!!!
Very glad you found them and can now read them over and over. All the fantastic comfort it will give you.
A truly beautiful story, Ann. I am glad you found the letters again. You love with Ron truly was rare and extraordinary.
What a joy that you found them and what a treasure to have.
What a lovely story that I had never heard. loveLY
Ann – that was an absolutely beautiful testimonial to your life together with Ron. Had you not been previously married you probably would not have had him in your life.
Ann – What a “Love Story”, something everyone should cherish in their life time. If I had not met Ron in 1996, we probably would never have the friendship and love we have with one another now. Your “Love Story” continues. Love Always Richard & Nadine
Amazing what we treasure in life – and I mean that in the best way.
So glad you were able to find your letters and recover those wonderful memories.
Dear Ann, I agree with the others and I thank you for sharing the story. The healing and comfort your relationship brought you was certainly a gift from God. We all travel crooked roads with joys and regrets, but our Lord always walks with us and often blesses us in the least expected ways.