Love Goes On Forever

Loss really changes people in ways we could never imagine.  Each loss has its own affect on the people connected to it.  There are many books about grief and the stages one goes through.  There is counseling for grief and support groups for grieving, but no one I knew sought out such things and no one talked about it.  …

Several months later we drove down the coast to Coronado, CA to celebrate my Father-in-law’s birthday.  He was turning 80.  It was a blessing to be only a couple hours from my husbands family and we loved to take part in any family festivities that we could.  His big Greek family was so much fun and we always enjoyed being together.  …

When I was finally settled in, at home in California, I still had not escaped the fog that I thought I had left behind in Minnesota.  It had followed me.  I wandered the streets of Beverly Hills day after day alone.  I would browse through the stores, sip on coffee and occasionally have a bite to eat at a cafe, but nothing filled the void.   …

Just after I drifted off to sleep it seemed, the phone rang beside the bed.  It was the middle of the night.  Delirious and groggy I answered the phone, “Hello?”  It was my mother, “You need to come to the hospital right away.”  I was too delirious to even ask questions.  My husband and I jumped out of bed, got in the vehicle and drove to the hospital as quickly as we could.  …

I woke up in a bit of a panic wondering how long I had slept.  “Where are we…what time is it?” I frantically asked my husband.  “It’s okay honey” trying to calm me, “We are about an hour from home."  I got on the phone, being the airlines were finally open and booked our tickets to Minnesota for later that morning, giving us just enough time to get back to our apartment, pack a couple bags and get to the airport.  …

Once my parents left, we settled in our new apartment and my husband went to work in his new job.  He worked long days in Hollywood, sixteen hour days were standard in the film business.  This left me a lot of time to myself.  I explored the new city with interest and excitement.  …

Needless to say, the first several years of our marriage saw many emotions on different fronts.  Between adjusting to being newlyweds, moving into our new home, being a stepmother, my mother's cancer and my father's heart attack, we had endured many changes, a range of heartfelt emotions and a profound sense of gratefulness for love and life itself.  …

So, life was good.  I was married to the love of my life, had a good job and we were living in a lovely home where we could entertain and provide for family and friends.  My husband was a real green thumb and incredibly handy and he made our home sing.  The house needed TLC and he gave it just that.  …

As most young women, I had a lot of ideas about being married that were just that…ideas.  The reality of being married and the responsibility that comes along with that, especially when living for God, is another thing.  Most young girls have grandeur visions, a Cinderella type story…

You ever have that feeling when everything just feels right and aligned?  You feel at peace and content.  That was this part of my life.  Everything felt right with my soul.  I was in love with my surfer - who was also my best friend, I was living in sunny southern California, I just got a great job and was part of the corporate world, was on my way to getting my own place and God willing, a car.  …

Now that our relationship was official, and everyone knew we were a couple, things changed for us and in a good way.  We were both comfortable and aware of the feelings we had for each other and were no longer dancing around the subject.  Others were accepting too and loved seeing us together as a couple.  …

The day he was baptized was so thrilling.  All the long hours on the phone, all the time we had spent together, had all come to this.  He was being baptized with three other people that day and so I wanted to do something special for him.  I stopped and bought some roses.  …

One of the biggest challenges of being raised a minister’s daughter, are the expectations and scrutiny you come under.  This would prove to be one of the hardest things to deal with as a young girl.  My father, of course, fell under a similar critical eye and although he preached the word of God wholeheartedly, was there for people day and night and sacrificed so much personally to serve God, many forgot he was also just a man; husband and father, trying to raise a family.  …

Now that I was more free to be me, I couldn’t wait to see my best friend at home and tell her about my adventures and all that had changed.  Funny thing was, the kids at my Minnesota high school seemed glad to see me and started treating me differently.  All of the sudden, they were interested in me because they wanted to know all about California.  …

I was a shy and insecure little girl.  I didn’t have lots of friends and I certainly was not popular.  I was picked on for one reason or another.  I never understood it because all I did was try to be nice.  I was perhaps, in the eyes of others, a little peculiar or odd maybe.  …