Almost 80

By Jean Martin

This book is intended to reach those who may never have heard about the plan of salvation. It is my goal to reach as many as possible through my writing. I hope they will inspire and encourage people of all ages. Do not let doubt hold you back, step out of your comfort zone, and be amazed at what God can do if you allow him. At eighty years old, I am looking forward to each new day and what God has planned for me.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Covenant Books, Inc.
• Release date: Jul 18, 2018
• ISBN: 9781643000787

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Almost

80

Jean Martin

ISBN 978-1-64300-077-0 (Paperback)

ISBN 978-1-64300-078-7 (Digital)

Copyright © 2018 Jean Martin

All rights reserved

First Edition

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Covenant Books, Inc.

11661 Hwy 707

Murrells Inlet, SC 29576

www.covenantbooks.com

My name is Mildred Jean Martin. I prefer to be called Jean. I am an only child, born on November 11, 1937.

What is it like to be almost eighty? Do you worry about growing old and what growing old means? Or do you enjoy every day God gives you? I choose the latter. Why does this matter?

I believe it is the difference between being blessed and living a life of gloom and doom. For most of my life, I have seen the glass half full, not empty. I believe this is a choice, one that each of us has to make for ourselves. When I think back over the years, I have had to face some real life-changing challenges starting in my teens.

My first love led me into a life of turmoil and heartache. At the age of eighteen, I became a wife and at nineteen a mother. I can honestly say I knew very little about what I was getting into. I was faced with a husband who was almost ten years older than me and had a mental illness I knew nothing about. Oh, there were signs, but I was too immature to recognize them until it was too late. After nine years of trying to make it work, I decided on the advice of my doctor to get a divorce. This was the hardest thing I had ever done. I felt really sad, scared, and so uncertain about what I was going to do. How was I going to raise my son and take care of him? I was blessed to have a mom and dad who opened up their home to me and my son, giving me a safe place to live in and for taking care of my son while I worked. It was not easy to leave my home and all that I had tried to hold together for almost ten years.

As hard as that was, it was not nearly as difficult as having to face the fact that my son was showing signs of mental illness as well. In my darkest hour, God brought the love of my life into my world. He had suffered the loss of his wife, leaving him with a four-year-old son. I truly believe God had a plan for us, one I could not possibly have imagined. Shortly after we met, we were married. We have just celebrated fifty-one years together last July. I can honestly say these were the best years of my life. I was able to quit my job and be a stay-at-home mom. I had two little boys who were a handful but also brought great joy! After about seven years into our marriage, God blessed us with a baby girl. She is what we called