There was a time where I was feeling depressed and frustrated with my situation back in December of 2007 (4 year ago, yowza!). I decided to take a week off of work and drive the 8 hours from Seattle to Missoula by myself to spend time with my grandma Betty (on my Mom’s side). She told me the whole story of how her and her soul mate met, which I’ve only heard referenced but never got to hear the whole thing.

My grandma went to college in Whittier, California and this was during the war. Only one friend had a car where her family got gas coupons sparingly to regulate gas use. The day that they received the gas coupons, her and her friends piled into the car and went out on the town. One of those nights, through some friends, she met Lloyd, the man she would love and marry.

They dated a while then he asked her to marry him. Of course she said yes and they were engaged. Fast forward to the end of WWII, Lloyd was driving her home after a evening of celebration when their car was hit but another car full of drunken sailors. Lloyd was okay with a few bumps and bruises but my grandma was in terrible condition. She was in the hospital for quite a long time. She missed too much of that quarter of school, so her mother asked her to come home and gain her health back. So she went home to Montana, and she never went back to college, or to California. After several months, my great grandmother demanded to send the ring back. And she did.

She finally recovered and life went on. She met and married my grandpa Herb and had 3 girls. Many years later they divorced and she was by herself for a while. Around 1972, she ran in to Lloyd in Montana. Like her, he married and had children as well. Also like my grandma, he was divorced. They rekindled their love and finally got married. They lived happily ever after until he died at an early age in 1983.

She has his love notes on her nightstand and wears her wedding ring to this day. She loved him very much and she said they were lucky to have that time together.

This story convinced me that I deserved better and I decided to get out of the relationship I was in. I knew I could find someone to be with where love transcended time. And I am so glad I did because I truly believe I have that now.

steph