Never too late for true love

WHEN businesswoman Sheila Johnson walked down the aisle and said "I do" to Arlington County Circuit Court Chief Judge William T. Newman in a wedding celebration that was befitting royalty, it was a triumph on many levels and for many people. For women everywhere, it was a glorious example of ageless, timeless love. The mid-50s bride was beaming in a gorgeous Bob Mackie gown. The 700 guests in the indoor equestrian arena-turned-wedding chapel were visibly touched by the love and dedication displayed by the couple, and it warmed many a heart to witness this sterling example of how it's never too late to find happiness in love.

Making this story even more heartwarming is the fact that Johnson had met her soul mate more than 30 years earlier while acting in a play to supplement her schoolteacher income. It was destiny and love that brought the two together again. When Johnson walked into the courtroom that day in 2002 for a hearing to finalize her divorce, the judge who had presided over her divorce was not there. Instead, Judge Newman was presiding. "I think I know this judge," Johnson whispered to her attorney. Afterwards, she asked the judge if she could approach the bench. "Do you remember me?" she asked him. "Oh yes, I do," Judge Newman replied. Weeks later he saw Johnson at a horse show in Washington, D.C., and they have been together ever since. He proposed on bended knee.

As the song goes, love is a wonderful thing. This story holds special significance for every Sister who feels that her best years are behind her, that she will never find true love (or find it again). Sheila Johnson is one convincing testimony to the contrary. Though you may not be as wealthy and world-traveled as Johnson, it could happen to you. This very evening, or perhaps tomorrow, you may meet that special man, that greatly anticipated soul mate who lights up your life.

It happened to my 79-year-old Aunt Ora. After rearing three children and weathering the demise of a 37-year marriage, she lamented, "Guess I'll be spending the rest of my life all by myself." She even asked if she could count on staying with me when "I can no longer make it on my own." I assured Aunt Ora (who, by the way, wanted to adopt me when I was a kid, but my Dad said "hell no") that she would always have a home wherever I lived. That was then. Shortly after ditching an old playboy Mr. Wrong, Aunt Ora met and married a wonderful man, John, and has enjoyed a very active and romantic senior life. Between church activities and casinos and traveling to New York and Chicago and California and taking cruises, Aunt Ora has been too busy to worry about being alone. And she has never looked back.

And then there's the Rev. Barbara Lewis King, 74, who married Dr. Sylvester Outley, 81, in a glorious wedding last summer that was THE hot-invitation event in Atlanta's social, church and political circles. Minister-actress Della Reese officiated at the ceremony, jazz vocalist Jean Carne blessed the couple with a stirring rendition of "Jesus, You're the Center of My Joy," Maya Angelou applauded jubilantly, and Minister Louis Farrakhan played a classical musical tribute on his violin. The couple had known each other since the 1940s and reconnected when Rev. King traveled to Philadelphia last February for a prayer breakfast.

At Sheila Johnson's celebration, one well-connected woman who had also witnessed Rev. King's nuptials marveled at the triumph these Sisters, and ordinary senior Sisters like Aunt Ora, represent.

So take heart in knowing that it's never too late. Love and happiness come to all ages, in all seasons. Too often we Sisters want love to come at a certain time (like right now!) and in a certain package. Love may not come when we want it, but it's always on time. The key is to have an open mind, loving heart and the ability to recognize and seize it.

COPYRIGHT 2005 Johnson Publishing Co.
COPYRIGHT 2005 Gale Group