Falling in love, being rejected and finding hope again. Be inspired as you follow our story and experience the exuberance of a Croatian wedding along the way.
Episode Notes
We are Stephen and Kerry. Together we’re pursuing our dream to sail around the world on our 37-foot yacht thankfulness. Our mission is to inspire encourage and bring hope as we share the adventure along the way.
Everybody loves a good love story, a happily ever after, a celebration. Well we were so excited to see a Croatian wedding here in Vrboska. It was so different to anything we’d ever seen in Australia and it felt like the whole village community was involved. So, we tagged along to experience the culture and to share the happiness of anita and Nikki from the local restaurant as they got married a couple of weekends ago.
If you stay to the end you’ll hear about Stephen and my love story. Our happily ever after… We’ll also be talking about love, rejection and hope. Three human emotions which I’m sure you can relate to as well.
Once Upon A Time…
It really should start out with once upon a time . Well, once upon a time Stephen and I were sitting here and we heard singing coming from the restaurant up the hill. Many men singing. We couldn’t work out what it was at first. We thought it was a football match or a soccer game and they were all celebrating together… but no, it was the beginning of the local wedding. “There’s a wedding going on at the restaurant up on the hill” [Music]”.
Kerry’s Love Story
So this is my love story.
I went into my first marriage at 20 years of age. I was deeply in love and totally committed to remaining in my marriage until death do us part. We had 26 wonderful years together, five beautiful children, successful careers and a shared vision. We built a wonderful family life together. I have no regrets from those years.
Sadly, it wasn’t to continue. 26 years followed by four years of struggle. At the 30-year mark we parted ways and divorced. After the divorce I felt like a failure. I felt shame but the most overwhelming feeling for me was rejection. Questions like: What’s wrong with me? Wasn’t I enough? What did i do so wrong?
In the midst of this overwhelming emotion of rejection one thing remained firm – my trust in God!
Stephen’s Love Story
Like Kerry, I was also married before. I loved my first wife with every fiber of my being and would willingly have laid down my life for her. After all, that’s what marriage is about – putting another person’s needs before your own. 27 years and five children later my world came crashing down. I was beyond devastated when my first marriage ended. Unable to function in even the most basic way. I couldn’t work in my business. I couldn’t even feed myself for a time. What I didn’t foresee was that the divorce would also claim the affection and respect of my children. My estrangement from them and my three grandchildren is a bitterly deep pain I live with every day but I continue to trust God for a path to reconciliation and restoration.
When I was at my lowest and feeling completely alone I committed to a very simple routine. First I had muesli for breakfast and toasted cheese sandwiches for lunch every day. I put myself in a positive environment by going to church every Sunday and thanking God for all his goodness in my life. I wrote out affirming promises from the Bible and stuck them on my door where I could read them every day. The most meaningful one to me was from king David.
This encouraged me to rise up and not settle being a victim. This was all I could manage for a time.
In the bible it says:
So that’s what I did. I put my hope in God in this challenging time.
Back To Kerry…
Not long after my divorce I got up the courage to join a dating website. I also kept thinking I’m 50, I’m too young to give up on love. So enter this wonderful man Stephen Neander. We had both posted on our dating profile our love for life and our love for God. This is what we were looking for in a new relationship.
Some call it fate but I believe that God brought us together. Our first lunch date lasted for five hours. Walking and talking we asked the question “do you think we have a connection?” There was a resounding yes from both of us and the rest is history. Hope had been rewarded, my hope in God.
..And Stephen
I resolved to not let the past define my future. I started playing my guitar again. I re-engaged with my business. I became active and involved in my church and community. I began searching for someone to create a new life’s vision with.
In our first two years together, Kerry and i have already shared a lifetime’s worth of experiences. We’ve pursued dreams, faced failures, traveled the world and stood by each other through serious illnesses. We’ve learned to surf in Hawaii and Indonesia. We’ve learned to ski in Japan and america and now we’re learning to sail in the Mediterranean. Above all of this, Kerry’s love for me and kindness towards me has been unshakable.
Every day I wake up thankful that we’re traversing this life together, pursuing God’s purpose and vision for our life. It’s a beautiful day because of you Kerry – I love you.
It’s our hope and desire that you’ve found something in this video encouraging inspiring or uplifting.
