A Sentiment

God knew what He was doing when He sent a gentle breeze and brought a lovely butterfly to set my heart at ease. The happiness of your friendship and the gentleness of your words have touched my life in special ways and now I feel assured. Thank you for your loyalty and for reading everyday. I only hope you find things to make a happy day.

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Our Paths Never Crossed


In 1954 we were in high school. I was in Joe's wife's class and Joe was in my husband's. Joe and I...never met. We both married in 1956. I married my high school sweetheart and Joe married his. At one time Joe and my husband worked at the same gas station...although not at the same time. His wife and I worked at the same hospital...although not at the same time. We started our families and then I moved to a small town just south of Elgin....where Joe was the butcher at the Jewel, where I shopped. We never met and we don't remember each other. We worked at the same Jewel in Elgin later on..he in the meat dept. and me in the Chef's Kitchen... our paths never crossed. We even took similar vacations...the same week in June we would load up our families and escape "up north" to cottages by a lake.We laugh now remembering that Joe and my husband both had lists that they kept each year to remind us what to pack for these trips. We never went to the same place, but this shows that our families experienced the same things. We lived in the same neighborhood...just around the corner and down the block. Our kids went to the same school and two of our kids were in the same class. Our boys were in Cub scouts together. I was a room mother and helped with a summer field trip to the Zoo...Joe's boy was on the bus. His Dad and I never met at this time. Joe worked at the meat market in the town that my husband and I would eventually end up. We moved in just after he moved on. So many years later Joe's first wife, of 46 years, died suddenly during the night and five weeks after that my husband, of 46 years, died after suffering for a year with cancer. We have a mutual friend, my best friend, Nancy. She asked me if I would mind if Joe would send my husband some inspirational emails, while he was ill. I knew who he was and told her that we would welcome them. Everyday for the rest of my husband's life...Joe emailed. I didn't know that his wife had died. We were back and forth to the hospital so many times in that year, back and forth from Doctor's visits. You will never know how cancer takes over your lives, unless you experience it. It simply broke our families hearts. I was a newby on the computer and we really didn't get many emails...so Joe's were a bright spot in our days. When my husband died...Joe stopped emailing. After a couple of weeks, I sent him an email..."Joe, are you all right?"
Balisha

8 comments:

FlowerLady Lorraine said...

What an amazing story.

Happy Valentine's Day to you Balisha.

FlowerLady

Diana LaMarre said...

What a lovely story. I find it so interesting to hear how couples met. Happy Valentines Day to you and Joe.

Barbee' said...

That is absolutely amazing!!! What a wonderful story, Balisha, thank you for sharing it with us. The more I think about it, the more meaning I find.

One Woman's Journey - a journal being written from Woodhaven - her cottage in the woods. said...

Oh Balisha, you make me smile.
God is so good.
Brought the two of you togther.
You have a companion for these later years.
How wonderful.
To just think how close the two of you were during the years - and never met.
Miracles happen.

Margie's Musings said...

What an interesting story! It's amazing you found one another.

Brenda Pruitt said...

What a magical story! I'm waiting for more!
Brenda

Anonymous said...

That is simply the most amazing thing I have heard in a long time. It is just incredible how you all kept passing like ships in the night and never met up with each other until the time was right. It had to be fate! Wonderful story! I loved it. Have a good week.

garden girl said...

Wow - so many coincindences Balisha! Looking forward to reading the rest of the story!