Real Grown Ups: stories of people that are well on their way to being "mature"

This is the story of a bachelor. Not a long time bachelor, but a man who was married for 40 years to a wonderful woman, and had been adjusting to life alone for 2 years. Retired, with grown children and grandchildren, he had long served as front door greeter at his local church, always the first one to offer a good morning and a handshake to regulars and visitors. He had served in leadership there as well, offering sound counsel in the middle of many trials. People knew he was in the building when they heard his familiar whistle. (people don't whistle enough anymore!)

Then one day the bachelor fell in love and became a groom again. He met a woman who is beautiful inside as well as outside. A missionary, supported by his church, living in Spain, she had been a widow much longer--for 13 years. They married and since she was not quite ready to retire from her mission work, he began a transcontinental commute. To Spain to be with his wife for a month, then back to the states to see his children and grandchildren for a month. Difficult, but when you start mixing your lives together late in the game, there is a lot more to accomodate. Young newlyweds have the advantage of starting with an almost blank slate, intertwining every part of their lives from before they even say "I do". Older newlyweds have entanglements on every front that have to be unwound more slowly and then carefully woven together.

The bachelor, become the husband, is now 75. When he was newly married, he asked a computer techie friend to look up the words to an old love song so he could sing it to his bride over the phone, something he still does after 4 years that still results in giggles on the other end of the line. He has become involved in her ministry and has tried with no measurable success to learn Spanish. For now, they still commute and he is still there at the door each week when they are in the U.S.

Recently, while waiting for a flight to Spain, he was approached by an airline representative. The flight was overbooked, and they offered him $900, a stay at an airport motel, and his supper if he would wait until the morning to fly out. He didn't consult her. He didn't think about what they could do with the money. He said, "No". He wanted to be with his bride. He says simply, "I'm a romantic", and leaves whistling an old love song that we all should hear.