renewal vows 1975 i living peell washington selling life insurance living â i little kids troubled husband mortgage pay â when western electric shut manufacturing plant laid 800 people month period district manager equitable asked i vancouver washington let soon employees know rights convert group insurance policies individual policieslets â how easy â im expected sell life insurance people just lost jobs â no problem right â but thats paul huntington asked thats i didon monday mornings 27 trips forth stuff week kids stuff week high chair potty chair seats kids loaded â then i drove 25 miles chehalis i dropped kids stuff babysitter â then i drive longview lunch manager vancouver â once id set appointments monday evening day tuesday day wednesday â on thursday morning i reverse course â id drive longview drop applications pick groceries kids home i immediately start running washer dryer ran pretty stop weekend long â did i mention weekends werent funonce i paid babysitter mortgage little left handle living expenses flophouse type room nights i stayed vancouver one day reading local newspaper i saw orchards united methodist church welcoming new minister reverend mary ann swenson husband jeff â there rule said i allowed sell insurance people lost jobs i tracked set appointment â she wasnt buying end appointment i said i vancouver days week â is church willing boarder days week â mary ann looked smiled said stay jeff meand i did â for months 1975 early 1976 i slept hardwood floor guest room â they werent mean â they just starting â their guest room didnt furniture â those tough days â i evening appointments â driving past lit dining room windows i families sitting dinner i burst tears â those people sharing evening meals â my children ninety miles away â when i got appointment id stop long fix makeup going ring doorbellduring time jeff mary anns home little island sanity world flying apart â id come evening appointments wed watch johnny carson h â and thursday came i leave sanity return chaoseventually i went arizona got divorce finally started writing â years later i went write joanna brady book desert heat i created joannas pastor husband marianne maculyea jeff daniels modeling good samaritans kind caring i world hurt â and read dedication book youll mentions real jeff mary annfor years mary ann i lost track finally reconnected i married wonderful â bill jeff hit â bill recently retired working outside home jeff swenson willingly gave tips surviving house husbandry â hes guy bakes bread waythen life happened â mary ann went vancouver wenatchee pasadena california serves umc bishop southern california â when ailing law daughter wanted renewal vows honor fifth anniversary mary ann real flew tucson california officiate â doing renewal vows couple cancer patient wasnt easy mary ann did magnificent job dry eye house â when jon dub hospital mary ann visited town â when hospice visited â and gone flew seattle speak jons memorial service â in words bishop mary ann swenson familylast weekend honor fifth anniversary daughters fifth anniversary friends renewal vows celebration bellevue course mary ann stopped way home chicago pasadena hour layover seattle officiate â more introducing i mistakenly called marianne maculyea i write character joanna books thats person i visualizeit wonderful party sort gasp summer close seventy people wandering landscaped recently completed yard garden â â we ate wedding cake sipped champagne ceremony â we band playing music â our tom roasted pig daughter law kathy supervised doeuvres â after feast finished roasting countless marshmallows mores outdoor fireplace â luckily rains held marshmallow roastedlots people came party guests original ones years ago people attendance daughter sister single stray cousin mary ann swenson person ive known longest longer husband joint kids grandkids â and said importance renewing vows youre longer blinded love know marriage process just inspiring spoke marriage vows years earlier did similar ceremony jon jeanne tand i sit aftermath wonderful celebration i know old girl scout song right â make new friends oldone silver gold