However, we have lived away from Kentucky for most of our soon to be 44 married years. We missed a lot of lives, but we made family and friends everywhere we lived. Our love for our extended family here in Missouri is almost as strong as our love for our blood families. For each decision we made...everything we received, there was choice to be made concerning family. There was always a reason for the choices we made. We needed to be on our own. We followed our hearts on this one. We did what was right for the two of us...everything else eventually worked out. One life lesson we learned could be summed up in this quote, "We can have it all...just not all at once."
I look at Jeff and Jasmine and I think of Tommy and myself. Tommy was in the Marine Corps and I had quit college to marry him. We also got married in December. Tommy was coming in on leave and he told me to pick a day and he would be there. So we settled on Dec. 26, 1969 at 4:30 p.m. We left from the church for Smyrna, Georgia. Tommy had us an apartment not to far from the base he was stationed at...NAS Atlanta also called Dobbins Air Force Base. It took us three days to get there and it was well worth the trip.
I hope Jasmine can live with Jeff while he is in the military. I hope they travel and enjoy seeing the world together. For us, being completely on our own, cemented our lives together. We started out needing each other and have never stopped.
That is not to say we didn't have hard times...because we did, every couple does. I think we have fallen in love with each other five or six times, each time stronger than the time before. To 'fall in love again' means something had to go wrong for awhile before the connection could be made again.
If possible we never go to bed mad at each other. Neither one of us would be able to sleep, so we might as well stay awake and talk, trying our best to fix what seems to be wrong. "I'm sorry" and "I love you " go a long way in that department.
Thank God for our a sense of humor. That has saved many a marriage...probably ours. I always say "I could have found another man but never, ever could I have found another friend like Tommy. He has seen me at my worst and loves me anyway." We were made for each other. He feels the same way about me. We still laugh a lot and we hope Jeff and Jasmine will too. Forgiveness is essential; it also isn't easy but very necessary. Tommy and I both had to learn that 'forgiving' and 'letting go of a grudge or bad memory' are two different things. This is where God comes in. He does what we can not do and that is 'forget''. God makes forgetting possible for very hurt and angry humans. We try not to keep score on who is right and who is wrong. In the end, it pretty much evens out.
Tommy and I wish Jeff and Jasmine happiness, love, laughter, adventure and the ability to make enough memories to last a lifetime.
Merry Christmas to you both...God bless you and enjoy your new life together.
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