Recently, despite the fact that he knows Jon and I personally, I was asked by one of our overseas friends how I came up with the different problems and events that take place in God Can Wait. He’s part of a group that meets each week to read and discuss each chapter as they appeared here at TheStorytellerCafe. It seems they couldn’t believe two people with so few resources, and in my case so little self-confidence, could overcome so many obstacles and become a loving committed couple.
As I told this gentleman, everything you’ve read in this story is true. It all took place as related.
I was financially devastated by the Great Recession that followed the “near” collapse of the US economy in 2008. I lost everything—stocks, retirement funds, and savings. The only asset I had left was my share of the equity in a house my former partner and I co-owned.
It took more than five years for the house to recover enough of its prerecession value to make it worthwhile to put it on the market. By that time, I had fallen deeply into debt, could barely make ends meet, and had sold off everything of value I had. I now live entirely off of Social Security.
In fact, that’s what this blog/website and story are all about. The last thing of any value I have to sell is my own story or I should say our story, for without Jon there would be no tale of an insecure Baby Boomer whiling—drinking—his days away in the California desert “waiting for God,” as the locals say, only to discover that True Love really does exist and to find it via a hook-up app with an extremely handsome and intelligent Canadian GenXer.
I want to sincerely thank all of you who’ve been with us on this journey from the beginning. A special thanks to those of you who’ve taken the time to drop some coin and a few bucks in the tip jar at the bottom of each chapter. You made paying for the domains and the ISP possible.
In addition to your financial help I also received a lot of emotional support, often in the form of a verbal kick up the bum, from friends like Brodie Chree to keep going and not hold back when it came to sharing some of my less than pleasant memories. A big thanks is in order to you my youngest, old friend.
I would ask all of you to join me in thanking my editor and good friend Ken Larsen for donating his time and talent to hammering out my appalling lack of English grammar skills and making this story as pleasant to the eye as possible. I even learned what an Oxford comma is while working with Ken.
“And he still refuses to use it.”—Kenneth Larsen
No one, however, is owed more of my thanks and unending gratitude than my husband, my beau Jon Breithaupt. His support for this effort and belief in me as a storyteller has been boundless. He knew from the beginning this story would not always show him in the most flattering light and that the picture I painted of him would run contrary to the way many of his friends and online fans had come to think of him.
He didn’t care.
He even went so far as to embrace Oliver Cromwell’s orders to his portraitist to paint him “warts and all.”
And, even though he knew it would produce a flood of unwarranted, salacious comments and messages he never once objected to photos of him being used to promote our story, he even suggested a few pictures we both knew would attract more eyes, and most likely more undesired “offers,” to some of the announcements.
Jonny, saying I love you does not convey the depth of my feelings for you. Never have I felt as genuinely and sincerely loved as you make me feel. All I can say is, if the first 64 years of my life was the price I had to pay to be with you here and now, I’d gladly do it all over again.
What’s next? I’m going to begin work on the print version of God Can Wait, which will give me the opportunity to expand on the details of the events that take place in our story.
Additionally, next week, or maybe the week after, we return to our regular series of wry, some might say jaundiced, series of commentaries about life as an American in Canada.
Once again, thank you all for joining us on this journey and for your kind messages, comments, and donations.
Edited by
Kenneth Larsen
This concludes the serialized version of the book, God Can Wait by C. W. Oberleitner. The entire story is available online at God Can Wait From The Beginning.
God Can Wait, a weekly serialized story, is updated every Tuesday at noon Eastern and 9:00 a.m. Pacific time. If you’re enjoying the story please use the social media buttons to help spread the word and don’t forget to checkout the products and services offered by our sponsors.
Support For The Storyteller Cafe
The Storyteller Cafe is supported by modest ad revenue and the generosity of readers like you.
Please “like” and “share” TheStorytellerCafe.com with your friends and family on social media and anytime you get together, it can make for some scintillating conversations.
Additionally, your direct financial support is greatly appreciated. To support the kind of storytelling we offer click the button below to our PayPal account. Your contributions, in any amount, are welcome.
Thank you once again for your continued support of TheStorytellerCafe.com. We’re looking forward to sharing many more stories with you in the near future.
