They took different paths, but ended up together

I was 13 and Jim was 18 in 1951. I had a huge crush on this good-looking young man. Our parents had been close friends even before Jim and I were born. As a young child, I remember the weekend pot-lucks and card games that our families enjoyed at each other's homes. However, Jim only knew me as a silly teenage pest.

He enlisted in the Navy, and after his discharge, married and started his own family. I finished high school and did the same. Even though our parents kept in contact, we lost touch and he was only a memory of a young infatuation. Years passed, divorces and remarriages for both of us, also the death of my spouse.

Our parents were deceased and I had always wondered whatever happened to him. I had remembered hearing that his daughter and her mother had a business about 70 miles from where I lived in Southern California. One day, after finding them in the yellow pages, I met his daughter for the first time and she contacted her dad telling him someone from his past was looking for him.

It didn't take long through letters and phone calls for us to arrange a meeting. Jim was living near Gardnerville. I flew to Reno where we met for the first time in over 50 years.

Our story shows that years can pass, life changes do occur but someone is out there waiting to share love and companionship. We've been together since 2003, looking forward to spending our remaining time together and dedicating ourselves to each other.

Myna Christy

James Van Dorn

Wellington