A lovely journey — married to Ben more than 50 years

What a lovely journey it has been, being married to Ben for over 50 years. He has always been a fine example to our children and grandchildren, never wavering in his trust in a loving and powerful God.

We have been through a lot — good and bad — as it is with all couples married so long. Through it all he always pointed us to Jesus.

There are many memories. My favorites are the night he gave his new Christmas coat to a very cold and then drug addict at a gas station; when he would buy food for a homeless person; or give a young pregnant waitress fatherly advice and money for the baby. I could go on, but he wouldn’t like that.

He started out a staunch Episcopalian as a young man. As years went by, he became influenced by many denominations. On our deep sea fishing boat, we usually took mostly church groups. For a Christian captain like Ben, it was wonderful. He always gave a fishing lesson in the morning filled with scripture and references to God.
There was lots of singing, and conversations about Christianity were common in the 25 years Ben was captain.

We had some wonderful experiences running singing cruises for an organization called “Food for the Poor.” They were feeding and building small homes on stilts in Haiti to keep the children out of the sewage water running down the streets. We did this one summer.

Another summer, we had choirs also come to the docks at night to minister to people on the docks. It was heartbreaking to see and hear some of the things happening down there at night. I remember seeing young girls coming to get their cars in the morning after being out all night. (In the car, there were usually car seats and small children’s shoes.)

Ben has had some problems with his voice “spasmodic dysphonia,” but that has not stopped him. He truly loves people and wants everyone to know Jesus. He writes what’s in his heart mostly now.

I feel he had made my life so much more worthwhile. It has been a lovely journey.