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13 June 2004
27 April 1968
(Notice
who's changed…
and who hasn’t! Does that
suggest something about living
with the other person in each
case? Hmm...)
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 ure, it’s a cliché that some
women are like the finest of vintage wines… they age beautifully and become more
desirable and satisfying with each passing year. But Lynne is no cliché. Her
physical beauty is surpassed by her inner beauty. She is loved more widely than anyone
I know, and deservedly so.
Even those who envy her her seemingly endless array of gifts, talents and personal
attributes are unable to withstand the grace and guilelessness that are her true
hallmarks.
(In case you hadn’t guessed by now, I adore her.)
But this isn’t meant to be entirely a love letter to my wife and companion. So let
me tell you more about her and who and what she is.
She’s the mother of our five children, Marnie (34), Joshua (32), Miriam (24), Naomi
(22) and Esther (15) and mother-in-law of David (married to Marnie) and Paulina (married
to Josh). She’s the grandmother of Marnie’s and David’s two little daughters, Ainsley
(9) and Nadia (7) and step-grandmother to Paulina's four children from a previous
marriage.
She’s a highly-regarded art, craft and drama teacher. She taught in Victorian primary
schools over much of the past three decades and has built a formidable reputation
for the scale and quality of her school productions. She left teaching with the birth
of Esther to become a full-time mother, returning to full-time teaching in 2002.
Lynne is also a professional actress and stage director, and a director of The Children’s
Theatre Company of Victoria. Her mother, the late Eileen Ragg Ure, was one of Australia’s
finest character actresses and stage directors of the 1930s and 40s, giving many
household names their stuttering starts in showbiz.
Lynne has been associated with various drama and dance schools and academies over
the years, often as one of the mums, at other times as a faculty member.
Her time these days is largely taken up with her substantial network marketing business,
and she travels regularly, within the state of Victoria and interstate, training
and supporting her people and building close friendships.
She’s a gifted artist, and a movie buff (Lynne has every Cary Grant movie ever made
but one!) and a superb cook.
Lynne is a skilled dressmaker and costumier and a less-than-enthusiastic housekeeper
(and who can blame her?). She keeps a neatly-stitched plaque in the entrance foyer
to her home that makes her point succinctly: “Dull women have immaculate houses”.
Home is very much a place to relax and enjoy life for our children and their friends.
(Lest I convey the wrong impression here, let me point out that it is always clean
and, except for the personal fiefdoms of individual family members, neat and tidy.
Her patience and persistence are astonishing in the face of a prolifically creative,
messy brood.)
Lynne is vivacious, witty, wacky, smart, sexy, drop-dead gorgeous and she loves life,
our kids, our grandkids, our home, our animals, her dishwasher, performing, her numberless
friends and people in general. And me. Thank heaven.
She is true beauty and womanhood personified.
I love her.
Addendum 21 July
2002:
Lynne and I made the difficult decision today to separate. Despite our mutual love
and affection, a marriage needs time and nurturing, and our divergent interests,
combined with the effects of my continuing ill health, physically, mentally and emotionally,
have taken their toll on our relationship.
We ask you to keep us in your prayers so that we can resolve the issues that have
brought us to this point successfully. It's certainly our desire to do so.
Update 24 December 2002
I was diagnosed today with Asperger's Syndrome, a neurological disorder on the mild
end of the autism spectrum. It explains pretty well all the problems that have led
to our separation. It's a profound relief to finally know the nature of the problem.
It gives us both some definite direction. You can learn
more here. |
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