The Beginning part 2 of 2

After their divorce, he got stationed in Hawaii for 3 years. I told him I would probably be married by the time he came back. To my surprise, that did not happen. When he came back to NC, we were still communicating. Then the communication became more regular. We were married in 2003 on Nov 26. We went to the courthouse. Reception at the house afterwards. 

Life was not easy, only because he was still in the navy and they had him all over the place. When he finally retired, we were able to be together all the time. That was an adjustment as well. I had to hand him all the things I had been handling without him there. We managed. 

The Beginning Part 1 of 2

Forty-eight years. That is how long I have known my husband. We met on a 4-H retreat. I was 14 and he was 17. My brother had already met him and liked him. When we met, I liked him too. He was funny, loved music and had a personality that drew you in.

When I got older, we fell in love and dated for a while. Because we lived almost 2 hours apart, it was hard for me to maintain the relationship with calls and a few visits here and there. We were still young. So, I broke up with him because I wanted someone to date who could be near me. It took him a long time to heal and looking back, it did for me too. I was just in denial. At some point, we started to talk again. It was actually after my marriage to a physically abusive man had ended. I needed my friend. The day after he got married, my letter reached him. He was in the Navy by this time. He would later say that if the letter had reached him one day earlier, he would not have gotten married.He called when he got my letter. He seemed guarded. I knew something was wrong. It was hard for him to know that I was divorced and he had just gotten married the day before. When he told me, I cried. At any rate, we kept in touch after that but not too much. He would sometimes talk about his marital problems and I was the listening ear or sometimes I gave advice when asked. I knew he would give the marriage his all and I felt I had lost him forever because I knew how he felt about the sacred bond. He would later say he stayed longer than he should have.

10 One Dollar Bills

Today I took 10 one dollar bills from my husband's wallet. They had been patiently living there since March. He went into the hospital March 30, 2026 and died April 22, 2026. Today is no special day. It is just the day that I had the strength and courage to take the money out. I am not sure what I will do with it. I don't know if I want to put it back into the wallet or quietly slip it into my own. My thought at this moment is the latter. And from there I will use it to help someone else who may need it. Maybe buy the persons grocery behind me in line. Of course, more will have to be added to the 10 ones. But I know that will be the thing that will bring me joy, knowing I literally used his last to help someone else. Now to go look for an opportunity to make it happen.

Hawaii in Pictures and videos

Here are some of the sights and sounds I enjoyed on my Hawaiian Cruise. Enjoy!

https://photos.app.goo.gl/H2oauxWacmF13PdP8