What I’m most grateful for is our successful marriage of over 56 years. My husband, Vic, and I have overcome many obstacles together:

His parents were against us marrying because they viewed our marriage as biracial.

We married in our teenage years.

We were separated during the Viet Nam war while Vic was in the Marine Corps.

I was raising our first baby daughter alone.

I felt incompetent at being a good mother.

My baby and I lived with my parents for a short time while they were separating (again) when Vic was overseas.

It was difficult to find landlords willing to rent to a teenage mother with no apparent husband.

I didn’t drive, nor did we own a car.

Much of the time, I was afraid of the possibility of being widowed during Vic’s tour in Viet Nam. 

I did not have a social life until Vic came home after 15 months.

I’m grateful that we managed to raise two spiritual, beautiful, talented, confident, and competent daughters who put themselves through college; they both home-schooled their children.

Like me, they married their high school sweethearts. Our youngest daughter, Tina, has been married over 20 years and our eldest daughter, Yvette, has been married over 30 years. They are wonderful mothers, grandmothers, teachers, homemakers, also, civic-minded citizens. 

Their father and I are so very proud of them. We couldn’t ask for anything more. I believe these life blessings were all divinely granted. We are humbly grateful.

Yolanda Adele is a member of the writing class offered through the Cerritos College Adult Education Program.  It is held off-campus at the Norwalk Senior Center.