Before my wife Ruth and I met, I had recently lost my wife of 33 years to cancer. I was adrift. I could hardly stay home during the day because our home was so empty. I would go to the gym every day and look for someone to connect with. I was desperate for companionship and I’ll bet it showed. I even ran an ad in the newspaper looking for someone to go out with. The only response came from a woman who said she would like to get together with me but she had a commitment to go gambling in Reno. I never called her again.
Then one day I got a call from a longtime lady friend who was excited to tell me about this woman who had recently lost her husband. She invited me to go on a double date with her husband and this mystery woman.
The date didn’t happen because this woman had a bad cold. I got her phone number from my friend and took a jar of homemade blue cheese dressing as an offering to help her get better. Why not soup?
We talked on the phone and Ruth asked me if I was interested in genealogy. I said yes, but didn’t really know anything about it. I met her at her home and we spent a couple of hours at the computer digging into my family tree.
She invited me to her church. When we went into the sanctuary and I saw the pews and the stained glass windows I found myself thinking “this is what a church should look like. I feel at home here.”
I had been lost and now I was found.
Prayer: Thank you, Father, for all that I have been given even though it is more than I deserve. Amen
Bob McIntire