Wedding Bells---Gail's Story

Here's some happy news from New Zealand that I think you'll enjoy too...
Gail was widowed in February of 2012, after 32 years of marriage. She wrote me this letter on March 12, 2013. But you'll see the pictures are more recent. You might remember the lovely poem she shared with us, The Other Half of Me a couple months ago. Now see how her story unfolds!

Dear Ferree---
I am getting married again!

My fiancé, Brian, had been helping me through the major part of last year as a friend. We knew each other from being homeschooling families when we met 20 years ago. I was good friends with his wife, Brenda; she was a wonderful woman of God and I would seek out her wisdom on many matters to do with homeschooling and family life in general. She died in a car accident just over 3 years ago and Brian has been through his own grief journey, drawing closer to God, and seeking His leading on what his life should look like as a widower.

My church family rallied round me and helped renovate my kitchen and laundry. My late husband, bless him, was a general contractor who started doing house renovations in 2000. In 2012 when he died it was functional but not finished. So after his death, it was worth less than I still owed the mortgage company.

Brian was doing what he thought God was telling him when he voluntarily helped me get my house in good enough order to sell it. Since I could not afford the mortgage I needed to get out of it for my own peace of mind. My children had all left home and it was a five bedroom home.

Gail and Brian
April 27, 2013

Brian spent hundreds of hours preparing the house for painting, painting it, and do all the fiddly little fix-up jobs required to make a house presentable for sale. I helped him a lot and we talked about all sorts of things, shared our own stories and started enjoying each other’s company.

By God’s grace my house sold for more than its rateable value, which has left me with a good nest egg; enough to rent a small house in town closer to my church family, buy a newer car and tide me over while looking for a job. I have been a homeschool Mum, helper in my husband’s contracting business, gardener, and casual worker in a library.

Jobs were hard to find for a 56-year-old woman, so when Brian offered to employ me in his painting business, I agreed. Hence we spent more time together, and started going out socially. I also helped him at his place with his extensive gardens and helping to organise his house. He had previously had some renovations done on his kitchen and he wanted it looked at “with a woman’s touch.”

Just before Christmas we realised we were extremely suited as a couple and started talking about getting married. God seemed to be leading us that way. I felt I needed to get past the occasion of my husband’s first anniversary and the dispersing of his ashes before I committed myself, but we are now going through all the “rigmarole” of marriage plans. It may seem very soon, but most people we know think it is great we can be here for each other.
That’s the story in a nutshell.
Gail

Dear Gail,
That's my favorite kind of nutshell!
We're all so happy for you, and it was so kind of you to share your story!
♥ ferree