Yesterday it was too hot to go outside. Melting wasn’t an option, so I stayed inside and watched TV. I seem to be doing a lot of that lately. I can tell, because my recliner leans to the right. I have recently subscribed to Brit Box, which is just what it says it is. It’s full of period dramas, mysteries, detective stories, people with funny accents and so much of old world living. My kind of entertainment because it takes me away from current events and keeps me going for another day or two. The movie I chose was “Jane Austen Regrets.” I didn’t know that the famous author was never married and lived until she was 41. The woman created romance novels filled with melodramatic characters. You would never know that she never actually experienced what she wrote about. The movie shows that she never married because she thought her responsibility to take financial care of her aging mother and spinster sister. The title “Jane Austen Regrets,” made me stop and think about my own life.

Do I have any regrets? I think we all have some feelings that we should’ve done life differently – that we should have pursued a different path – that we should have, would have or could have done better. I married at the ripe old age of 22 to a man I had known since I was 13. We weren’t much alike. He came from a wealthy family. My parents both worked so I could attend a private school. I had dreams of being a brain surgeon – a woman in the corporate world – rich. He was small in size — I was chubby. His letter sweater was too small for me to wear when he asked me to go steady. He was athletic. I liked to watch. Romance was the furthest thing from my mind, but I fell in love and married the guy. We were married for 60 years – have three children, three grands and a great grand.

Was mine an ideal marriage? I guess that would depend on what you deem ideal. Marriage is filled with ups and downs and mine was a good example of that. We didn’t have much of monetary value. My dreams of a career were put on the back burner, because at that time, it was necessary to stay home and keep track of the family and household duties. Do I regret that? No. I loved those early years with my children. We didn’t always have enough to give them special advantages, but they received a lot of love.

My husband had a jealous streak. I guess I should’ve been flattered by that, but it was an annoying trait because there was no reason for it. He was a go-getter and started three businesses. I preferred to see a weekly paycheck. I encouraged him but felt I should be helping out by getting a job. We went through our early years of marriage, trying to make ends meet. We were wealthy for a while, but when the bottom fell out and we lost everything, instead of giving up, we chose to open new doors and begin again. Do I regret any of that? No. We grew closer together because we worked at it. It wasn’t always easy but definitely worth it.

We endured various illnesses throughout our lives. When the big “C” became part of our vocabulary, we were stressed but knew that God was still in control. I know that sounds foolish to many. Especially in a day when we should be in charge of our own destiny. We muddled through financial difficulties, health issues, laughter, disappointments, impossible odds and still survived. Not because of what we did or didn’t do. It was because our life was centered around our God. Even then, we struggled. Often the hardest things in life happen to those who believe in God. Being a Christian certainly doesn’t guarantee smooth sailing. It does give you a solid foundation. Do I regret that? No, because I know this world isn’t the end of my life. My future is assured because I have a Savior that never gave up on me.

THANK YOU, JESUS, FOR ANOTHER DAY!