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Description
Because I see Love is Like That as lyrics to a song or as a story with music running through it, “Prelude” seems a more appropriate category than the more standard “Preface”. In a typical protestant church, the morning’s service begins with an organ prelude, a time for the gathered to settle down and focus on the task at hand, trying to become more receptive to what truth might be revealed and, at the same time, reflecting on the many gifts life brings. Though it comes after the service, the organ postlude is also seen as an integral part of a traditional service and that’s the way I treat it at the end of the book. The two pieces played in the postlude are important to the reader’s understanding and a fitting end to the illustrative score.
There was nothing in our early years to suggest that Joan and I were ever destined to meet. She was born and raised in a rural area of Scioto County near Portsmouth, Ohio in the southern part of the state. I was reared in the suburbs surrounding Columbus in the heart of Ohio. Joan had an unhappy high school experience. Being from the rural area, she was treated as an outsider in the large city high school she attended and made few friends. I, on the other hand, had an enjoyable high school experience for I was lucky enough to be an insider in a smaller high school and had a fair share of friends. Joan grew up in a large, stable family with three older brothers and a younger sister. I, by contrast, was an only child living with my mother through two divorces and a third marriage to an alcoholic. Joan was an excellent student and a member of the National Honor Society. I was only an average student with little concern for academic achievement. Joan’s father believed she would never marry. My mother had a long-held idea of the type of woman I should marry and Joan did not fit the bill.
This, then, is a story of how two people from quite different backgrounds, managed to find each other, and, even more impor- tantly, how they managed to stay together and in love for sixty-one years. Perhaps you, the reader, will find in these few pages clues to that longevity, an insight here or there that might have a bearing on the nature of relationships generally or even on your own particular relationship. I hope at the very least that you enjoy the read and will go away feeling that it was a worthwhile use of your time.
Just have to tell you I read your book (Love Is Like That) and it’s amazing, fabulous, touching, warm. Pulitzer Prize for you! And what a great life you’ve made…
I read it all in one sitting, page by page. The narrative, the poems, the pictures, all spoke to me not only of your remarkable life with Joan and the love you shared for each other but also mirrored in so many ways my life with Bonnie. Other readers may have a similar response. …Love Is Like That should have wide circulation and be helpful to any couple enduring a complicated marriage or other relationship…
I have wondered if I haven’t heard from you recently because you are inundated by accolades for Love Is Like That. I wouldn’t be surprised, for I have found it to be charming, and I love all the more recent photos you included. I thought it was significant that my copy was mailed on Valentine’s Day…since it is truly a love story. I could hardly lay it down after it arrived, but then decided that in order to make it last longer, I would keep it on my bedside table to read every night before falling asleep. Getting a little “fix” of the saga of the Skeeles every day is a real treat…
Your gift Love Is Like That is a treasure…It’s very clear that your writing is from the heart. It’s lovely to read. I’m blessed to have a copy of my own…
What a tribute to a long life together. I loved the pictures, the journey, your honesty about the ups and downs, and, as always, your wonderful poetry, the images (“cliff-clinging trees,,,bent and twisted by years of booming surf and hammering winds”…”the ebb and flow of yesterday…giving over to neap tide”… “grief reappearing on the coattails of life’s brevity…”) all so vivid…
Love Is Like That is as wonderful as I knew it would be.
I sat down and read your wonderful book from cover to cover – deeply moved by your fine expression of love for Joan, for life, and the good life you have led…We know, of course, that we will experience the grief that has come to you and your insights and writings surely help us in preparing for whatever must come…
I wanted to say thank you for the copy of your book Love Is Like That. I am honoured to be included. I will cherish it! What a beautiful story – two wonderful people. Thank you for letting me share in a small chapter in your lives
What a delight to receive a copy of your new book Love Is Like That. I read it right away. What a wonderful story about your life with Joan. It’s beautiful…
Many thanks for your thoughtful gift Love Is Like That. I sat down and read your book in one evening. I found your honest description of marriage refreshing…
Thank you for your new book (Love is Like That). What a wonderful tribute to Joan and the meaningful life you both shared…I especially like the title poem (and the last line) “Love sees beauty in the fullness of time”. I also enjoyed reading your family history…This morning I am reading “Joan” and “Mourning Dove”, both beautiful…
I received the copy of your latest book (Love Is Like That) this week. The day it came I sat down and started it and read until I finished that evening. I really enjoyed it!. You have the knack of storytelling. It was one of the best love stories I have ever read…
Thank you so much for your latest, and beautiful, book (Love Is Like That). I have a vivd picture of a remarkable woman I’ve met just through your words, and a marriage worthy of remembrance and reflection. It’s a perfect gift for Ron and me as we embark on our late life adventure together…
I was so moved by the last several pages (in Love Is Like That) that I could not express what I thought. The story of the two of you is as sweet and instructive in genuine loving as I have ever imagined. I envy you your memories and your experiences…
Randomly I opened the book (Love Is Like That) to read. The poem was “Joan, Where Are You? I marvelled at the way such ordinary words made such a poignant poem!…Reading poetry is like looking at a painting…Thanks for hours of beautiful reading.