This is how I celebrated New Year's Eve in 2002. I got a little tiny 4 pack of my favorite wine and made a shrimp cocktail to munch on. I broiled a lobster tail and had a baked potato and a salad... cheesecake for dessert. Then I made a fire in the fireplace and turned on the TV. I was alone for the first time in my life. My husband had just passed away and here I was on my own. I did have Maggie for company, and I put a hat on her and took her picture. TV was great that night. PBS was showing music shows from my day....the 50's. Several music shows in fact. I watched them and drank a glass of wine. Little did I know that, in a town, not far away a man was watching the same shows....after broiling himself a steak. He was sitting in his chair drinking martinis. He was alone for the first time in his life. We had both been previously married for 46 years. He didn't dress the dog up, but Laddie was by his side. We were both in the same boat. He had been in my husband's class in school and I was in school with his wife. Joe and I didn't know each other, however. He emailed my husband, while he was ill. His wife passed away 5 weeks before my husband died. Joe and I continued the emailing. That New Year's Eve made us both aware of the fact that we didn't want to spend another one alone. We continued on emailing, finally he started visiting, we got the dogs together, I visited his home, and all the while just enjoying spending time together. We threw caution to the wind and got married. Since then, along with being so happy, some difficult things have happened. The saddest times were when we had my little Maggie put to sleep, when she was 15 yrs. old... and then this year our Laddie of 12 yrs. My serious surgery, just months ago, was another test for our marriage. We have found that we are both set in our ways, but we pretty much can resolve our differences by the end of the day. I can only speak for myself and say that it was the best decision that I could have made. Having someone here for me in my old age...to share my ups and downs...We take care of each other... look out for one another...and have fun doing it. We laugh, so many times, at our aging together. We have worked on projects together and find delight in each other's talents. We also share the joys of our kids. We share our Faith and go to Church together. So, this year it will be different. We will go out to a favorite restaurant here in town, after Mass. Then we will come home and turn on the fireplace, have some wine, turn on that PBS and look for shows that play the old familiar music, and bring in 2010 together.Have a safe evening, Balisha
