On Happiness

Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him.”   

                                                                                                                                                            Genesis 2:18 (NASB)

Today’s blog is much more personal than usual, but this is not an apology, just a notice.

I have been blessed much more than I could ever have imagined; by love, by children and grandchildren, and by friends. But even so, as C.S. Lewis said after the death of his wife, I could not fathom the depth of loneliness I experienced after Sally’s death. I had a group of friends with whom I lunched and dined, but I still had to go home to an empty house and wake up the next morning in an empty room. It is not good for an obligate extrovert to be so lonely! However, my dear wife left me the greatest gift possible: she adamantly quoted Genesis 2:18 to me and my children. She told us that her wish was that I be happy.

When I moved to Nashville a year ago in the midst of the pandemic to be near my youngest and his family, I was again lonely, even with my family here. I had asked a friend here to introduce me to people with whom I might connect. And she introduced me to a wonderful lady who dearly loves the Lord. We began to see each other in August of last year. Neither of us ever expected what began as a dinner companionship to develop into anything else. However, He had other plans. As I’ve written before in In a Mirror Dimly, if you want to make God laugh, just tell Him your plans!

I prayed nightly, “Really Lord??” And she prayed the same prayer. But then His plans began to become clearer for both of us. One night as we prayed together, I actually laughed out loud – really bad form!! – during her prayer: she asked, “God, why now??”

And so last Friday evening with a violinist playing and in front of a huge bouquet of roses, I asked….and she answered: YES!

Just when I thought that I had no more seasons of happiness left, He showed me different. Although we both know that we will face trials and troubles, we will face them together. With our Lord as our guide.

A coda to this incredible story of God’s grace: I am absolutely certain that Sally is blessing this impending marriage from before His throne in Heaven.

Amen.