Hello there! I’m Karren, with 2 r’s in the middle. I usually have to spell it twice for anyone new, or for anyone old who just hasn’t noticed. In fact, all of my names usually end up having to be spelled out slowly. But they have fit me well and I’m used to them by now.
I was born in the 1950’s when my mother was 41 and my father was 51 years of age. I’ve always wondered what it would have been like to be a young adult during the 50’s instead of 2 decades later. My parents lived through the Great Depression and they taught me many of the lessons they learned from life. They were great teachers and I’ve learned to appreciate being raised in the wonderful, old fashioned, frugal, and enjoyable style of simple living. They taught me how to cherish living life, to appreciate that it was a gift, and how to live it well. I have always considered myself to be an old soul.
I fell in love with my Mike when I was 16. We married when I was 18 and he was 19. Many people probably thought our marriage wouldn’t last because we were so young, but it did really well. We finished raising each other and made each other better during our years together. With God’s help and a lot of prayers, we learned to be a strong team. We were faithful to our wedding vows to love each other until death. Our love was strong, even though we were both very stubborn at times. But, our love and commitment to each other was always grounded in our faith in God.
Our marriage wasn’t always easy, but it had become nearly perfect by the end of our journey together. Two had become melded and welded into one as we looked forward to enjoying our golden years together. Home was simply wherever we were together and we ended up being in quite a lot of places through the years.
Both of us were teachers and all three of our children have been teachers, so that passion runs pretty strong in our family. Our precious grandchildren have always received a lot of educational toys, books, trips, and ideas, along with lots of methods and ideas tried on them! We have had so many great times together as a family.
We celebrated our 44th wedding anniversary on June 9th, just 26 days before he passed away from pancreatic cancer on July 4th, 2016. I lost the love of my life that day. I also lost the life that I had loved living with him. When he left, my life changed forever and it will never be the same without him.
I had never really lived life as a single adult until I was widowed at 62 years of age. I didn’t know how I would ever be able to go on living life without him. No one knows how a widow feels until you become one. Our human mind can’t fully understand a certain pain until we feel that pain.
I’ve wondered if I can ever write enough words to even briefly describe the before and after of it all. I know I’ll weave back and forth between them because they’re divinely intertwined by our Sovereign God who held us then and holds us even now.
Through our years together, I was the one who usually signed any cards that were sent from us. It still feels strange, and I feel sad, to not sign his name right before I sign mine. But, now it’s just me, only.
I pray that my words will help you to know that our Sovereign God loves and holds you, too, with His everlasting love. Even in the darkest grief of the soul, and in the loneliest place on the planet, He is there. He wants to bring us faith, hope, and love!
Blessed and Grateful,
Karren