I loved these recollections. Very sweet! You must have made a very positive impression on the first young man that he thought of looking you up after so many years had passed. You were very blessed to have had two such satisfying relationships in your life.

Senior gal, I am so touched by your story. You were blessed.

Your story was so lovely and I enjoyed reading it so much! You are a gifted writer. I am at the beginning of your blog and look forward to reading all of your entries.

Thank you. I don't think young men today give their hearts so completely today as when you and your to-be-second-husband were young.

My mother was 16 when her first boyfriend wanted to become engaged. He was 19. My mother's parents wisely refused permission -- and she wasn't ready to marry, anyway, hoping for a more 'worldly' life.

She had that life -- becoming a personal secretary to a vice president in a large department store and living in the city. She married my father and helped him become a successful businessman. They divorced, and she became a very successful real estate broker, supporting herself, me, and her widowed mother.

My mother had developed leukemia when a friend from 'back home' sent her a news clipping about something her old boyfriend had done. She called him to say hello. He had been widowed for a long time. He came to the Chicago area to see her. He brought his cherished photo of her at sixteen -- and the small, perfect diamond ring he'd kept for almost 60 years. He had married and been happy, but he confessed that he had never stopped loving my mother.

He was a lovely person -- gone now. He would have been a better father than the 'successful businessman' who left us for his secretary,

Senior Gal, Your stories are the best. I am truly enjoying them. Thanks

Thank you so much for sharing this story. I truly enjoyed it and will read more of your blog. Thank you again!

A touching story and a happy memory it would seem....Thanks for sharing it with us...

Seniorgal, that was lovely. You've been so generous in allowing us these glimpses of your life. How wonderful that you found love again later in your life; I hope you will accept my sympathy for your recent loss.

Seniorgal, you and I are so close in age and have grown up in the same times. I've read and enjoyed all your stories. Because all my life has been lived in the South, your winter stories were especially interesting to me.

Today's story I can relate to even more because of it being about the war years. My husband-to-be was in the Army Air Force when we met; I was 17, and while my story is far different from yours, there are many similarities, and each had a happy ending, except that my story ended 32 years ago when he was stricken with cancer.

I also write; many years ago I joined a Writer's Group and I've been writing ever since. It is definitely therapeutic. Have you considered starting a writer's group in your retirement community? Others may find writing to be helpful to them.

Keep the stories coming.

Sue

Sue Va suggested that I form a writer's group here.

Well, we indeed had one! However, in a place like this I suppose it was bound to happen-- some members moved to Assisted Living facilities, and, one by one the others died.

Fnally there were just two of us- a man who really wasn't such a good writer but whose perseverance I admired, and me.

He and I tried to get another group started with no response. Then on New Year's eve he died, leaving me as the sole member.

So- here I am, using this board as my audience and incentive to keep writing.

Sue, I love your stories. I was born in the Midwest a few months before the United States entered WWII.

You mention that you said a prayer to your guardian angel. I too was taught to say a prayer to my guardian angel every night, and I sit here trying to remember it. It started, "Guardian angel in heaven above," and that is as far as I recall at the moment. It is only a few sentences long. I will have to ask my sister if she remembers it.

Thank you for sharing and it gives me a different percept of Midwest living. Wish I had started something in CA, especially growing up during WWII etc. Memories are with me, but difficult to put down, due to culture differences between West Coast friends and Midwest people.

The typical Catholic version of the prayer:

Angel of God, my Guardian dear
To whom God's love commits me here
Ever this day be at my side
To light, to guard, to rule, to guide.

Seniorgal, it is too bad the attempt at a Writer's Group failed, but don't give up; perhaps it could be revived. Just a quick thought off the top of my head: Could you or someone talk to management, or an administrator about creating interest in it? Something, maybe in the way of a contest among the residents to promote Minnesota, using the state Flower, Tree, Bird, Nickname (I googled to see what they are) for example, in a poem or essay and having the winning article published in the local newspaper. That could very well inspire some of the residents to continue writing and hopefully result in a group, helping and learning from each other. In the meantime you will still have this very appreciative audience and incentive. Keep on keeping on.

Sue