Retirement...I never knew how good it would be!

Well, okay, I'm not retired, I'm disabled. My husband is the one who is retired, since he is 11 years older than I am. But, at any rate, neither of us is working.

Yes, we now have that feared "limited income" that my parents used to talk about. They'd say, "But WE'RE on a limited income, we can't afford to do that."

I always imagined that meant that they just got pensions and social security with no hope of anything additional and that we were young enough to add onto our monthly earnings in some manner.

With their fear-tinged words, I learned to dread retirement and for many years, I knew we'd not be ready for it financially (ranch work doesn't pay out pensions or 401 Ks) and I...well, yes, I feared it.

Again, "oh me of little faith!"

How I love this time of our lives. My husband and I are so in love, especially after our 34 years together. And we never have disagreements or misunderstandings. It's like we have gotten those all taken care of and now it's such smooth sailing.

There is no way to describe that feeling that you always have tomorrow to get something done if you don't achieve it today. That you don't have to be very many places at a certain time and you are no longer under someone else's "thumb."

We worked on ranches for years and years, and though that is a lifestyle full of cherished value, there are some challenges that come with living right where you work....working 24/7, or at least, being on call all the time. And being responsible for large properties and sizeable amounts of livestock that do not belong to you.

And, of course, being told what to do and how to do it by someone who often doesn't have the amount of experience that you do.

Therefore, we feel today such a blissful freedom from those things that came from managing ranches, and to think that we worried that we could not live without ranch life! God indeed always has a plan.

When we were considering where to retire, our hearts led us to the small town where we live today, and each and every day, we voice to each other, "We love it here." The people are perfect. And we fit in. God had that plan, you see.

Being together all the time, but not in the midst of the intensive labor we were used to being in while sharing each other's company, has really turned out to be a thing that feels like a reward earned at the end of a long, long road.

What an honest-to-goodness blessing to be with someone you love and respect so much, in a place that fills your heart, for as long as God has that plan going!