B Lynn Goodwin - Never Too Late: From Wannabe to Wife at 62

Praise for

NEVER TOO LATE

A vivid, engaging, and heart-warming tribute to that rare and wonderful thing: a late-in-life love.

Susan Wittig Albert, Ph.D, author of Loving Eleanor andThe Generals Women and founder of Story Circle Network

Do you like romance? Two people young in heart meet through Craigslist, date, wrestle through the challenges of learning about each othersex, religion, money, health, you name itand (spoiler alert) get married. For him, a third marriage; for her, a firstat 62. The joy of this book is its honesty. The open conversations. The moments of doubt. The truth of two people who discover each other, care about each other, and live full lives, no matter what the challenges. A book filled with grace and charm.

Aline Soules, author of Meditation on Womanand her chapbook, Evening Sun

For those who think life has passed them by, take heart, and read B. Lynn Goodwins book, Never Too Late, an unflinchingly honest, personal tale of love found after 60. We discover, along with Goodwin, that the fragile bloom of late life love can flower into a sturdy fullness: of family, shared wisdom, patient understanding, and mutual acceptance. From that first dates knock on the door to trips back home to Texas, Goodwin invites us to experience with her a deferred dream come true.

Kate Farrell, Author and co-editor of award-winning anthologies: Times They Were A-Changing: Women Remember the 60s & 70s and Cry of the Nightbird: Writers Against Domestic Violence

Never Too Late is a pleasant, well-written chronicle of an older womans search for true lovevery different from any love story you have ever read.

Richard J. Smith, Ph.D., author of Life After Eighty,Once Upon A Christmas, and Musings of an Old Man

At some point in our lives we have all come face to face with the realization that love is not the stuff of Hollywood and cheap fiction, but far more complex, demanding and difficult to navigate regardless of what some may tell us. It is also exhilarating, unfathomable, and beyond our human comprehension. B. Lynn Goodwin gives us a glimpse of both these truths in Never Too Late. With refreshingeven, at times, painful candor, Lynn takes us along on her personal journey to discover what it means to give yourself to another person and to learn to accept them just as they arethe way God loves us all. Lynn is an inspiration to those who have ever considered giving up, and at one time or another most of us have. By seizing happiness with courage, sincerity and perseverance Lynn shows us that real love is not superficial, but about living each day as if it the beginning of something wonderful.

Douglas A. Weiss, author of Life, Love and Internet Dating

Few relationships are as complex and multi-layered as the romantic pairing of a man and a woman. And, adding to the potential for miscommunication and conflict, consider the predicament of a 60-year-old, decidedly independent virgin who suddenly finds herself actively wooed by a dynamic, take-charge, traditionally religious man.

Never Too Late: From Wannabe To Wife At 62 is the story of B. Lynn Goodwin and her now husband as they progressed along their rocky journey from first tentative kiss to the altar. With candor, humor and an engaging writing style that is sure to keep you turning pages, Lynn delivers a movingly honest account of the various issues, challenges and unexpected delights inherent to building a later-life relationship.

Boomer women especially will relate to Lynns struggle as she shifts between viewing herself as a strong, single woman and the need for making multiple compromises that being part of a couple entails. From railing against old guard established gender roles, to concerns over sharing financial resources, to yearning to feel the warmth of a mans protective arms, Lynn freely expresses the fluctuating emotions she experienced. Any battle scarred veteran of the Womens Movement and its gender wars cant help but understand.

Whether you have been in a long-standing relationship, are reentering the dating scene or are currently single, if you are a woman of maturity, you are going to relate to Lynns story. Never Too Late is an honest, insightful look at one of lifes greatest mysteries: the ever changing and ever challenging relationship between a man and a woman. This book is one you wont want to miss!

Mary Eileen Williams, Host of Feisty Side of Fifty, author of Land the Job You Love!: 10 Surefire Strategies for Jobseekers Over 50

Never Too Late:
From Wannabe to Wife at 62

by B. Lynn Goodwin

Copyright 2017 B. Lynn Goodwin

ISBN 978-1-63393-608-9

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any otherexcept for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior written permission of the author.

Published by

210 60th Street

Virginia Beach, VA 23451

800-435-4811

www.koehlerbooks.com

Prologue

LATE THURSDAY AFTERNOON. My mind whirled. Staring at a TV rerun did not calm me.

What if I tripped? Or said something rude? Or sounded like an idiot? What if my good pants didnt go around me anymore? Or if my black top with the low, square neck squeezed against my oversized breasts, pushing them up and showing too much?

Its a date, not your last date, I thought as I reached for the remote. Now get up and get ready.

In my bedroom, I pulled on my tan, silk pants. The elastic bit into my waist. My black shirt did nothing to hide my muffin top. Itd been forty years since I was first told, if you want to get a boyfriend, lose weight.

Not going back there. Ever!

Richard saw my picture before he asked me out. Hopefully, my weight wouldnt bother him. Besides, a mans eyes were likely to be focused about eight inches higher.

I looked into the mirror, removed my glasses, and squinted. My eyebrows were wispy as a newborns hair. That wouldnt do. Gently darkening them with brown liner, I hoped that they would not look drawn on. It wasnt enough. Two softly smudged shadows gave my eyelids depth. Then I pulled out the plum lipstick I purchased six years earlier. Still moist enough.

Picking up my black Naot shoes with tan curlicues, my confidence grew. They would support my arches and give me a better chance of walking smoothly. Two weeks earlier, I went right, Mikko McPuppers went left, and we collided instead of avoiding each other. Struggling to stay on my feet, I crashed into the wall. My right shoulder, hip, knee, and anklebone screamed out. Or maybe the scream came from my mouth. I hurt too much to know the difference. As I hobbled into the dining room, Mikko followed me with his head lowered. Gazing up at me, his eyes said, Sorry, person. Can I get you an ice pack?

Its not your fault, little one. Really. Ill be okay.

Tonight, thankfully, adrenaline overrode my pain just as it overrode my fear when I gave Richard the best times to call. My fingers shook as I fastened the strap on my left shoe. They shook more when the doorbell rang. My date was right on time.

Standing at the door with my heart pounding, I stared at the creamy white paint and hoped my face was not that pale. After one more deep breath, I opened the door and smiled. A man with thinning gray hair made eye contact with me.