As I have written before, my dear husband, Frank, alias “bear” went to be with the Lord at the end of July.  When all the relatives had gone the day after his “Celebration of Life” I was left with a quiet house.  I realized I had never lived alone. I lived with my mother until I married, and when that sadly ended in divorce 21 years later, I had three children to care for and work to find.  I had a teaching degree, but at the time they were bumping teachers, closing schools, and there wasn’t a teaching job to be had. I could keep busy substituting, but then came summer and no teaching work.  After several part-time jobs I found a program at San Diego State University where Japanese students would come for four to six weeks, to practice their English. It paid well. I had two very polite boys each time and we had a grand time with our English-Japanese dictionaries.

When I met my husband, nine years later, my sons were still at home. Frank and I went together five years, both being wary of marrying again. We were married 27 years. Now, after two months of working through grief and fending for myself, the Lord took pity on me and brought me an unexpected roommate. I was not advertising for one but she was recommended to me.  She has been a joy and her Christian outlook is always positive. She sings on the worship team at her church and helps the youth group. A kind-hearted person, she sometimes takes on too many tasks, helping people. She likes Scrabble and putting jigsaw puzzles together, and looks out for me. I am blessed and grateful.