: Regarding the reader whose boyfriend hasn’t proposed after five years, I like your advice. It reminded me that 73 years ago, my girlfriend came to New York City from St. Louis to spend a week with me and my family.
When it came time to go back, she said, “Where do we go from here?” I was in the military and didn’t know where they would send me, possibly even farther from her. We had had enough of writing to each other, and phone calls were too expensive then. That left two options: Forget about each other or get married.
I never asked her to marry me, nor did she ask me. We simply agreed that marriage was the right way to go. She was the love of my life.
We made it 71 years with children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She passed away last year. She was in a care home with dementia, but I visited daily for close to three years.
Toward the end, she said she wanted to marry me. That was the best parting gift anyone could give to one’s partner. What a perfect love story! Thank you for sharing how you and your partner made a beautiful life together.
Even in the later years, for you to experience joy through dementia is a sign to others who may be struggling with that disease that joy can be found in the direst places. Blessings to you! : I’m a recently divorced mom with three adult children. My husband was physically and emotionally abusive throughout our marriage.
He originally left me and my young children when they were just toddlers, but we eventually re.
