From Heartache To Independence

A caring husband provided support when it was needed most

- Lyn E. Ayre

I am writing this at the end of the second calendar year without my dar-ling Norman. He and I were complete unto ourselves. Third time’s the charm, they say. For me, this turned out to be true. When we met, I was 36 years old and ten years sober. I’d just gotten custody of my two teenaged children, and Norm’s daughter had just come to live with him.

I’d been through a lot in my life— incest, rape, miscarriages, illnesses, two divorces, addiction and alcoholism. He was a breath of fresh air: forthright, open, understanding and loving. We hit it off and had 29 years together. After what I’d been through, it felt like a reward to be with him. He was the best person I’d ever met.