Starting Now and Filling In
Cathy and I got home from our honeymoon at Jackson Lake Lodge in the Tetons last Sunday. Since then we’ve been settling into our married life and working on all of the logistics of combining and consolidating our lives. Who knew there are sequencing issues with changing one’s name? I suppose, those of you who have had to change your names. Sorry!
Yes. We got married! It’s been a thrill and long anticipated. I asked Cathy to marry me on Valentine’s Day, in writing, on the card she gave me. She took little time to say yes. But she answered in writing the next day on the same card. I believe she is keeping that card.
The Tetons opportunity came up last November. A deal we could not resist. Little did we know then that it would be our honeymoon destination. But with upcoming anniversaries for the passing of our spouses in April and May, we decided to try to sandwich our wedding between May and the latter part July.
On July 21st we held a small wedding with some of our children and grandchildren, and a few close friends. We’ve been attending St. Stephen Lutheran Church in Urbandale for several months now. It’s a gracious and loving environment with a wonderful pastor. So we decided to invite Pastor Andrea Myers to officiate the wedding, at our new home. On Friday the 18th, Pastor Andrea informed us that she was diagnosed with Acute Leukemia. She needed to be in Rochester the following Monday (the 21st) for tests, and to begin treatment. Thankfully, Associate Pastor Chris Lang stepped in to perform the ceremony. Our thoughts and prayers continue for Pastor Andrea as she endures the first round of chemo regimens. And we pray for a speedy and complete recovery.
Cathy and I spent our teen years in the same neighborhood. Both of our last names began with “Ja”. Because of this, we were placed in the same homerooms for both Junior and Senior High School. We didn’t socialize back then. But we were aware of each other. We reconnected through our 50th reunion website. Cathy posted that she had lost her husband to a fast-growing cancer. I offered my condolences and empathy, having recently been through a similar loss. When we met for dinner in June of 2024, we quickly recognized our common interests. It didn’t take long for us to notice the attraction.
Obviously, there is so much that happened between June of 2024 and July of 2025. I might get to some stories about us in later posts. Here I will say that our upbringing, our common neighborhood and school, and our years of life experiences have all led us to each other. Our love is for each other, as we are. Sharing our remaining years together is our passion. Yet we are always mindful of our losses of Pam and Craig. We have mutual respect for our grieving. We embrace each other’s loved ones and friends as we move forward into our future. We are truly blessed.
