boquetebella

They say “70 is the new 50!” – that may be so. Today as I turn 70, I am compelled to write about the decades leading up to this auspicious age and in so doing, shed light on the wisdom gleaned through those ages and some of the milestones.

20’s – Two very wonderful highlights: first I became a mother and received my heart’s desire which was to have a daughter. My one & only: Amber Nichelle. Although I was a single mom she was received with love into my life and was a delight to the entire family being the first girl after 20 years of no babies in the family.

For six years I juggled the responsibility of a full-time career and motherhood until marrying at age 28.

30’s – Ten years of a whirlwind waltz through life. Amber and I adjusted to adding Joel Williams to our circle. As Joel moved up the ranks in his profession, we moved house 12 times covering 3 different states and 2 years of life in the United Kingdom. Amber tried on different hats during that decade, first as a snow bunny, then British overnight and lastly a surfing beach bum. At the end of that decade, we weathered the storm of parenting a prodigal child. We all worked hard and played hard.

40’s – Loosely coined“THE AMWAY YEARS” – Life in California put my engineer husband on a soul-searching trajectory. For a time he found his answer in us joining Amway. It was a wonderful experience, until it wasn’t. At the end of our 40’s and just before our 20th anniversary we were setting across from each other after a (4 month separation) in the chambers of a divorce judge.

50’s – GOD intervened and with renewed insight gained though counseling that armed us with valuable tools to reconnect – we entered into a new phase of our marriage. As empty nesters, we lived life to the fullest which included retirement and a move overseas, culminating to living on a cruise ship for 4 months.

60′s – My darling husband wrote a book with the title “You Must Do It Alone But Not By Yourself” that became my motto when I found myself unexpectedly widowed.

As The Kadeesh states:

Blessed, praised, and glorified, exalted, extolled and honored, magnified and lauded be the name of the Holy One, blessed is He, though He be high above all the blessings and songs, praises, and consolations which are uttered in the world, and say amen.

I am eternally grateful to those that have come alongside me and made this journey a bit less painful.

70’s – In the August Presence as I enter into this new decade, a sentence in the book “Weeds Like Us” by Janiva Magness, resonates with me. I am choosing to enter into this phase with “Moving Towards Love & Light”