The Bride Wears...Red??

I was married at nineteen, and widowed at fifty seven. One of the most devastating aspects of that horrible experience was coming to the realization that all our dreams for the future were gone in the blink of an eye.

My husband Sid often quoted those famous lines: Grow old with me. The best is yet to be. I never imagined that I would be doing that with someone else.

But then I met Tom, fell in love and now at sixty—I am planning to be married this coming June. I have had to work through a lot of issues, including happiness guilt. But I am finally at peace with the fact that I will grow old with Tom, not Sid.

Life rarely goes the way we planned. And, as hard as it is, sometimes we have to learn to accept the changes in our lives before we can really embrace and celebrate them.

Sid and those cherished memories will never leave my heart. But I have found that I have room in my heart for Tom, also. How great is that? I am blessed to love and be loved by two wonderful men in my lifetime.

I recently found a red dress to wear at our small family wedding. Red seemed so appropriate, as to me, it says that no matter how old we are and what has happened to us-- there is always hope for new beginnings. It also signifies the fire and passion of youth.

So I am going to wear a vibrant, red wedding dress that says to me “embrace the best of the past, live with joy today, and celebrate the best is yet to be of the future.”

Melinda