Barry and I met on the fourth of July. That was a turning point in my life.
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| First Christmas in our Mountain Home. We were so happy. |
I teach my students to write down the turning points of their lives as a way to organize their memoirs. Meeting Barry was a large turning point in my life. I had become disenchanted with dating, with men, and wanted nothing to do with their kind. I fell in love with a beautiful young mare my brother had bought for the farm. She kept me busy and I could depend on her. I told myself I could teach and ride horseback and never miss dating.
I had graduated from college and come home like the good little girl I was expected to be. The men I dated expected me to be something I was not. But I agreed to go on a blind date with a young man, Barry Beall, who would not take no for an answer.
He arrived in a maroon Chevy II convertible, climbed out of his car and walked toward me where I stood watching my older brothers play horse shoes in our yard. I was not impressed with my date's looks -- tall, skinny with a crew cut. He wore the worst looking knit swim shorts I'd ever seen.
My first impression changed completely by the time we had taken a boat ride and spent time talking, and watching the fireworks that night. We fell in love on July 4th. We married the following year on Flag Day, June 14.
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| He grew more handsome as he aged. |
Today at our table our old friends gathered and we remembered Barry. I know he was with us. We couldn't see him but I felt his presence and his love.
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| We were The Six |
What a lovely love story. I am so so sorry for your loss, and based on previous comments to me on my own losses, I understand your understanding. It is not often you find someone who truly understands the depth of your loss. Please know that I hold you in my thoughts as you remember the good times, and feel the emptiness. I know we don't know each other except through our blogs, but I send you big strong hugs. May you find peace in your joyous memories!
ReplyDeleteBarry was definitely there with us yesterday, Glenda. I so wish he could be with us physically and will always miss his presence.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Lise. I accept your hugs and return them.
ReplyDeleteSometimes we actually learn more about others by reading their writing than we do by sitting and talking.
I have other friends I've met online and never met in person. I consider them and you among my best friends.
Hi Glenda, that was a sweet story. I'm sorry Barry is no longer with you.
ReplyDeleteI don't remember the exact day I met Bill. You could say we met online. We subscribe to a cassette magazine for the blind called Newsreel where people share ideas, music, recipes, and sell or give away items. Bill e-mailed me in a response to a question I had about computers, since he owned a computer store in Fowler, Colorado, for twenty years.
In April of 2004, after a two-year long distance relationship, (I lived in Sheridan, Wyoming, and still do.) Dad and I stopped in Fowler on our way to visit my brother and his family in New Mexico. He was tall with graying hair. He wore blue jeans and a t-shirt and walked with a cane. At the time, I got the impression he just wanted to be friends so it was a shock when in January of 2005, I received a letter from him, asking me to consider marrying him. To make a long story short, we're living happily ever after, although he's in a wheelchair, and I must care for him.
Abbie Johnson Taylor, Author of
We Shall Overcome
and
How to Build a Better Mousetrap:
Recollections and Reflections of a Family Caregiver
http://abbiejohnsontaylor.com/blog