Never Too Late

Today, I am delighted to have a fellow educator and writer as a guest blogger for the Women on Writing Blog Tour of her new book.  B. Lynn Goodwin, author of Never Too Late: From Wannabe to Wife, shares her honest, and often, humorous thoughts on relationships, marriage, hope, faith and most of all, Love!

I hope you will enjoy reading her post.  Please feel free to leave a comment. Those who do, will have an opportunity of winning a copy of her book, Never Too Late: From Wannabe to Wife. 

Compromise and Acceptance

    

In my memoir Never Too Late: From Wannabe to Wife, I wrote,

  

“I never believed that opposites were attracted to one another until I met Richard. Part of the allure was that we got along so well despite our differences. Part of the fear was that I might be on a pink cloud.

  

“He wanted to marry me as soon as possible. I wanted to wait. He said he needed the influence of a good woman. I avoided the restrictions imposed by any man. Partners in a marriage are supposed to be equal—different in their skills and attributes, but equal in the way they view each other and the way the world treats them.”

  

Richard and I were as opposite as night and day, as opposite as blue collar and white, as opposite as debt and savings. Take your pick. Yet, there was a pull between us. We both could see promise in our relationship. We both wanted marriage; he wanted the influence of a good woman, he said. I wanted to find out what marriage was like. I wanted to stretch my world. He wanted to augment his. I wanted to try out the role of pastor’s wife. He wanted to try marrying a woman, who could take care of herself financially.eHH

That was okay with me. I never wanted to give up my independence—not under any circumstances—but it was hard to build a relationship, when I insisted I never needed anything.

  

One day, I realized he was in charge of everything in his life. He was the CEO of his business, the pastor of his church, a father to his seven adult children, and he was used to being the head of the household, simply because he was the man. Besides, the Bible told him that the man was the head of the household.

  

Of course, he also knew and often said, “If Mama ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy.” We both know he’s head of the household, whenever I let him be, and he’s learned to accept that the name on the title of our condo is mine. We’re lucky to live in a place that was paid off before he moved in.

  

I accept his desire to cook—even though he still thinks he’s cooking for a family of nine. When he interrupts my concentration, I understand that he’d forgotten that I need quiet.

  

Sometimes, we step on each other’s toes. We also know how to forgive.

  

We don’t get into stubbornness competitions unless we choose to. Fortunately, we’re both conscious of our choices. It’s one of the gifts that comes with age.

  

He’ll be home soon. I know, because he just called to tell me he’s leaving his office and he’ll be here in 30 minutes. I want to finish this before he walks in the door. He drives a long way to live here in this condo that I won’t give up. The least I can do is give him my full attention when he arrives. His presence in my life is worth the compromise.

  

How did I come to that conclusion? Read Never Too Late: From Wannabe to Wife and you’ll find out. It’s available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and from indie bookstores. Tell them they can order it from Ingram. Once you get your copy, enjoy the journey I took from insecure wannabe to fulfilled wife. You won’t regret it.

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B. Lynn Goodwin owns Writer Advice, www.writeradvice.com. Her  memoir, Never Too Late: From Wannabe to Wife at 62 was just released by Koehler Press.

  

She's written You Want Me to Do WHAT? Journaling for Caregivers and Talent, which was short-listed for a Literary Lightbox Award, won a bronze medal in the Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards and was a finalist for a Sarton Women’s Book Award.

  

Goodwin’s work has appeared in Voices of Caregivers, Hip Mama, Dramatics Magazine, Inspire Me Today, The Sun, Good Housekeeping.com, Purple Clover.com and many other places. She is a reviewer and teacher at Story Circle Network, and she is an editor, writer and manuscript coach at Writer Advice.