As I gaze at our photo, I am struck by how young we
were. Thirty-two years ago we were
newlyweds looking forward to our life together, but not really knowing what to
expect. Life was an adventure. Three years later, Bob was transferred to
Idaho, a place we had visited but didn’t know much about. We had no family or friends in Idaho. I had to leave my family behind in
California. Bob already knew a few
coworkers but that was it; I got to know some of their spouses. We found a church and that became our
family. I took classes, I volunteered,
and I applied for jobs. Approximately 11
months after moving to Idaho, I became a VISTA volunteer for what would become the
Idaho Foodbank. Shortly after that I
found out that I was pregnant with our first child.
Parenthood changes a marriage like nothing else. I believe it brought us closer together,
although we’ve certainly had our share of disagreements. We raised two daughters, now adults, and
faced many joys and challenges along the way.
Together we sacrificed to give our daughters opportunities. First there was dance lessons beginning at
age 3—the dancing continued all the way through high school dance team. There were countless hours spent sitting in
auditoriums or on bleachers, doing fundraisers, building props, driving them to
classes and rehearsals. Then there was
the money for costumes, lessons and competitions. Through the years we experienced illnesses,
surgeries, and psychiatrists. We took
every opportunity to take them to shows in town and go camping in the mountains—what
great memories we have! Our vacations to
various locations were adventures to see and learn new things.
Our lives changed when our girls left for college. Our house was suddenly quieter and we had a
lot less money. This is still the
case. We have returned to having no
family here so our family is still our church family. Our lives are simpler now and we have time to
pursue our own interests. I have come to
appreciate how much my husband and I have in common—we enjoy many of the same
things. And life is still an adventure.
No comments:
Post a Comment