Her words were God-sent and God-timed. As I began focusing on being thankful, I tiptoed into the acceptance stage of my grieving process.

"I'm tired of this lifestyle. How about let's start having some fun," Bob suggested later that month. "Like going out for dinner tonight," he offered--and I accepted.

Our dinner conversation began a gentle U-turn in both of our lives. Bob suggested we start practicing what we were preaching--"treasuring the moment."

"I'm not sure I know how to have fun anymore," I answered. Then, as though the words were coming from someone else's mouth, I heard myself say, "Let's put our future in God's hands."

"I can't think of a better place," Bob answered.

The next months found us spending more time together. We still grieved, but now we laughed more and even giggled at times.

"It's as though God knows what we need before we do," Bob often said. "This is a road I never planned to travel," he'd add.

Nor had I. Even though Richard had often told me he wanted me to go on "living life to the fullest," I turned a deaf ear to those comments, knowing I would never enjoy life again, let alone find someone to treasure the moments with. We continued to pray our way through the "dating" process. Bob is God's gift to me--and a test, I decided. Worrying about others' opinions had been a way of life for me, and now I lived in the faith zone, trusting God to lead the way.

Not only did He lead the way, He prepared the way as our children, grandchildren, and friends all opened their hearts to our good news--we would always love Richard and Betty; however, we discovered that our hearts had room for another love. Living in the faith zone resulted in our marriage. Sometimes I still grab the control wheel. Then I remember the trauma, the pain, and that horrible out-of-control feeling, and I let go and trust in God. I readily admit we don't know what path our future will take; however, Bob and I do know, no matter where we are physically, we're going to keep trusting God, and that means we'll be living in the faith zone.