My Popeye

Bob had just come off a Mediterranean cruise when I met him. While they were traveling around the world to 36 countries on the USS Saipan, he didn’t have much to do in his spare time than work out. So, he was quite toned. Being a Sailor, I decided that I had my own Popeye. So, naturally, that made me Olive Oyl.

My 18 year old self was so proud to be his girl. He was the older, very handsome man in the NAVY. And, as the years passed, I became even more proud to be his wife. He genuinely cared for people. I can only hope to live up to the woman he saw in me.

He found small rubber figures of our namesakes at an Arcade while we were dating, and they now sit on my desk. These small reminders of our wonderful love story is what gets me through my days at present. And, that’s what early grief feels like. Each day finished is an accomplishment. We need to celebrate those small victories.

To help me heal and to get through these days, I have decided to focus on our life’s journey in the next set of blogs. I have heard that so many people who have lost loved ones worry about forgetting the details of memories. I hope that writing it down will relieve that worry as well as help me to move forward with Our Love Story. '

I often counsel others, especially those going through difficult times in relationships, to remember the good times. And, I also counsel those going through difficulty to journal their days. I truly believe in the act of writing it down as a healing process. So, this focus will combine the recording of good times with getting through these difficult times.