Couple Enters Their Second Marriage at the Age of 84
It's no secret I'm a believer in second chances, particularly when it comes to love. For me, marriage is proof that second chances are real. That love can enter your life when you least expect it, and that the love that arrives has the potential to be a lasting love.
A story about a couple 84 years young proves that a second chance can come at any time in your life. Whether you're in your 20s or in your 80s, there's a chance you will meet a person who is deserving of your heart and whatever time you are blessed with here on earth. But what is so miraculous about their story is that their previous marriages were seemingly happy ones, decades spent committed to the person they vowed to travel through life with.
As reported by The Journal Times news, Willis Heimerl and Donna Barnes met while in a senior living facility. They had both been married to other people before. Heimerl spent "48 years and seven months" married to his wife, who died in 2009, and Barnes spent 55 years married to her spouse.
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The two met while bowling on the Nintendo Wii. Heimerl had been in search of someone who was "compatible," and, as fate would have it, Barnes turned out to be his match.
While the decision to marry appears to have been an easy choice for the couple, their children seemed to struggle with it. This had a lot to do with the fact that they hung on to memories of their parents - the ones who spent decades married to the parent who was now preparing to walk down the aisle to marry someone else. But in the end, they realized it wasn't about them. Their parents were happy.
This union is a beautiful reminder that despite the unexpected twists and turns that life takes, the road can still lead one to a beautiful place. It is a reminder that sometimes we are fortunate to get another shot at something great. We get a chance to experience true love a second time or officially for the first time.
Heimerl and Barnes did what made them happy, and I applaud them for that. Despite being 84 years old, something tells me this couple knows that life is indeed short. When we are fortunate enough to get our second chance, it only seems right that we seize it. And that we cherish it.
Photo source: Nick Nguyen via Flickr
-Krishann Briscoe
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