I met my first wife when I was serving in the Air Force, stationed in Victorville, California.
We were dating. Pretty casual.
Then the Air Force gave me red line orders: move to Germany within a month or leave the service.
We got married right away so she could come with me. It was romantic, we thought.
As my wife, she had the right to travel with me wherever I went. And I traveled a lot in Germany. I played racquetball for the USAF. Went to tournaments all over Europe. But she never came with me. She was too busy studying, getting an education. Also on the Air Force’s dime.
Eventually, she wanted me to leave the service and move to Arizona, where she was from.
It went against all my dreams. I thought I’d be in the military my whole life. But I said yes.
We got an apartment in Mesa. I was only there two weeks when she told me she didn’t love me anymore and wanted a divorce.
I know. That sounds pretty tragic.
But within three months of getting divorced, I met my wife of 31 years.
We now have a great life, two kids, and five grandkids.
We have a great business.
Life is incredibly good.
Sometimes we meet people for reasons that don’t become clear until later on.
I’ll always remember my first wife fondly.
In a very real way, she functioned as a doorway that led me to the life I now cherish.