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GARNER TED ARMSTRONG
congratulates his father. Herbert W. Armstrong, and his new bride, the former Ramona
Martin, after performing the wedding ceremony (left). The wedding took place among
a
sma/1 group of family and friends
in Tucson, Arizona. A joyous reception followed which included the traditiona/ cutting of the cake (right).
Personal
(Continued from page 1)
one day, "everyone who knows you
is convinced that Goo really chose
your wife-my mother- for you,
brought you together, and used you
together. If you will be patíent and
trust God, He will choose the sec–
ond wífe by your side to help you
carry on from here on."
But that seemed ímpossible. You
see, by this time, this last phase of
the Work had developed to the
point where 1 was now forced to
travel to all parts of the world.
J
was
away from home 300 of the 365
days each of the last two years- and
what woman could stand that gruel–
ing ordeal and travel with me? Mrs.
Loma Armstrong never could have.
1 think not one in a hundred–
whether man or woman- could.
Often our flights Iast from 12 to 17
or more hours- wíth perhaps two
30-minute refuelíng stops- and
crossíng six to nine
TIME ZONES.
It
is
a killíng pace.
42
Then I became conscious of a
woman travelíng with our traveling
team as Mr. Rader's assistant, who
often did special missions- like fly–
ing on ahead alone to Nairobi,
Kenya, to make all advance ar–
rangements for my big campaign
there-a very competent woman.
Our acquaíntance developed. In due
time 1 discovered that God had
al–
ready
done what Garner Ted said
He would do- HE had chosen and
sent her to me.
(1 had nothing to do
witb ber joining our traveling team.)
As with my first courtship, it devel–
oped into
ROMANCE
and deepened
ínto real
LOVE.
Now, after three weeks of married
life once again after a ten-year
lapse, 1 realize now that 1 have
needed ber all along.
What has, in a sense, amazed me
ís that there could, after all these
years- now in the sunset of my life–
be tbat same thrill and ecstasy,
sense of romance, and visits to cloud
nine again that were there in tbe
sunrise years of life. But, then, is not
a beautiful sunset in Arizona, Flor–
ida, or lowa, usually even more
beautiful than a sunrise? We are
both fuJly mature now, whereas at
25 we were at the beginning years of
maturity. But the beauty of pure,
God-given
LOVE
is fully there.
God did not intend earthly
human life to be merely childhood
play and fun followed by a brief
period on that high cloud of early
romance in the first few years of
marriage, then a settling down to
life's work, raising a family, and
nothing from there on but serious
work, problems, troubles, sorrows–
and too often years of lonely wídow–
or widowerhood- eking out an exis–
tence, looking forward to nothing
but relieffrom it all by death.
One of the most pítíful sights that
1 have ever had the misfortune to
see was a few blocks of second-rate
hotels for elderly and retired people
in one of America's cities. Sitting on
the front verandas were elderly
people just enduring life until death
released them from ít. They looked
so terribly unhappy, frustrated ,
hopeless. In calendar years, 1 am
sure most of them were younger
than 1- probably
in
theír sixties or
seventies.
Most of those still had theír mari–
tal mates, but life was not fun any
longer. Undoubtedly tbey had long
The
PLAIN TRUTH July 1977