Larry Jordan

Aug 04, 2022 by Larry Jordan, in Personal

Over forty years ago, I married my best friend. It was the best decision that I ever made.

We met when I was 17, and she was 15, and we were together for six years before we married.
We moved across the country (twice) before we settled in Texas almost 40 years ago.
We raised two children and three grandchildren, and she is “Mala” to them (and to everybody.)
We jumped into new jobs, and we jumped out of old jobs, and (usually) it worked out well.
We traveled to all seven continents (yes, even Antarctica) and we taught school in Africa.
We had some tough times, and we healed in some hospital rooms and counselors’ offices.
We retired in our early 50’s, and we are now spending the rest of our lives in service.

In some ways, we are the same two kids from Monroeville, a suburban community in the Midwest, but in other ways, we are different. On my best days, I am almost as good as her. She inspires me, and I am becoming more like her, more open-hearted and open-minded.

When we met, I needed humility, and she needed confidence, and we filled each other. Anyone who needs confidence or humility (and everyone does) just needs unconditional love. Unconditional love is empowering, and it centers and comforts and motivates us.

She believed in me when I needed the courage to quit a bad job or make a good investment. How many people stayed in bad situations because their partner said, “This better work!” not “I believe in you, and we’ll make it work."

Sometimes, she felt like she was overlooked, because of her small size and her evident sweetness, but her family and friends know that she is a badass and that she always has our backs in difficult situations.

She makes peace, when possible, and she wages war, when necessary, and she almost always prevails. When we need a velvet hammer, not a sledgehammer, she just says, “I’ll handle this,” and then she does.

She became more confident, more outspoken, and more willing to take the spotlight. Today, she is an artist, who makes beautiful artwork and regales rapt audiences in comedy clubs.

She spent three hours chanting in a sweat lodge (when I lasted for twenty minutes) and after she recovered from a health scare in Africa, she wanted to go back (when I wanted to go home) and she bungee-jumped off a bridge (when I stayed on the ground.) Wow.

Every day, I am grateful to share my life with my wife, Jill Jordan.

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