April 10 Ted and Bev

Friday evening:  My next-door neighbor, Ted, is an almost 92-year-old gentleman whom I have enjoyed sharing a side yard with for three years now. He loves the Lord, and I love to fellowship with him as being a follower of Jesus. Ted was married 55+ years to his first wife. After she died, he met and married a nice woman but she died after only three years. After that, Ted met and became close friends with a woman from his home church. They decided to share a friendship, but not get married, due to their age and the complexity of all the family issues related to marriage. However, this close friend died of pneumonia just prior to Christmas (I think), and so Ted was alone once again. He started reaching out to me in ways that I could not reciprocate . . . but I had an idea, a rather match-making thought ... what about my 90-year-old friend, Bev! I had barely tried to formulate HOW I could introduce them to each other, when Ted asked for Bev's number! 

Who is Bev, you might ask? She is a dear lady from my adult Sunday school class over at Calvary. She turned 90 last fall, and I have oftened mentioned Ted to her as we chat as I am driving her to various appointments. I also spoke to Ted about Bev during one of the various neighborly conversations we have. A few weeks ago (just before I went to Florida), Ted asked if I would give him Bev's phone number. With her permission, I passed it on to Ted. They've been talking via the phone almost every day since! They are acquainted with a bunch of mutual people, but they never met each other until ... tonight!

Our Sunday school class at Calvary was having a potluck and guest speaker social on Friday night. Bev asked Ted if he wanted to join "us" for that occasion. Neither Bev or Ted drive anymore--actually just in the last six months both of them quit driving and no longer own a car. Bev's car needed repairs beyond its value, and the mechanic told her it was really too dangerous for her to continue driving it without those expensive repairs. She turned 90 in the fall and her kids were really relieved when she decided to just junk the car. Ted and his son, Scott, were in an accident last fall that totaled Ted's car and since he was 91 at the time of the accident, he decided it was time to quit driving. The accident was not his fault--Scott was actually driving at the time. 

A few months ago, I was asking the Lord how I could serve Him and in the next week or so, Bev contacted me with her transportation needs. I've been driving her to go grocery shopping and occasionally to various appointments. Bev is a super active person. She visits the "Y" twice per week to swim and exercise, she plays Bingo on Fridays over at the Salvation Army, and she is very involved at church. Another friend, Mary, also helps with Bev's transportation and she also utilizes a ride-share option.

Here they are at the potluck! Ted got introduced around, and the two of them seemed to enjoy themselves quite a bit. After dinner, we listened to Dr. Michael Rydelnik, a former professor of Jewish studies at Moody Bible Institute, lecture about some current world events. 

Afterward, Bev invited Ted and I to briefly visit her apartment, so we did that--she only lives about five minutes down the road from us. I am so thankful these two finally met each other!