COUPLE WHO GETS SEPARATED IN THEIR TEENS REUNITES AFTER 50 YEARS FOR A MISSION
Do you believe in love? Mind you I am talking about the kind of love that stays with you even if the person you are in love with don’t. The kind of love that doesn’t teach you to make sacrifices only but also teaches you to go to any extent to get that special person back in your life. This story has all of it: pain, hopes, craving, separation and most importantly love that ultimately overpowers all other feelings. It is about a young couple who get separated in their teens despite the immense love they had for each other. The couple had to suffer a lot. Things reached their limit when they were forced to give up their daughter. But as they say, true love has a habit of coming back. Here too they reunite after about 50 years. Many things have changed in these past 50 years except for one thing i.e their love for each other.
However, after getting reunited they decided to look for their daughter. Ultimately, their investigation brought them to an unexpected point.
It All Began
They were a high school sweetheart. Dennis Vinar and Karen Lehmann did not delay in confessing their feelings for each other. This tender love story with an unexpected twist took place in Brownton, Minnesota. The story is timed in 1958.
Opposite Attracts
Dennis Vinar happened to be a classic boy next door. The boy had to drop out of school for a year due to severe illness he got afflicted with. He was already a year behind and so was not willing to widen the gap any further. He had decided to direct all his concentration towards studies. Vinar’s father was Buick salesman by profession in St. Paul. Dennis would often help him with some cash.
Handsome And Popular
The boy had become quite handsome by the time he reached his high school. He even had an amazing dress sense. No need to say the charming lad was very popular among girls. He also, being the local football star gave a push to his popularity.
Extrovert And Introvert
While Vinar was extrovert Karen Lehmann owned a different personality. She was known for her introvert nature. Whereas all the teens of the town would dream about becoming popular, Karen limited herself to her studies.
Things That Mattered
Though they were poles apart, they did have few things in common. One of them was their amazing work ethics. Whereas Vinar used to help his father in his business and would also run football drills. On the other hand, Lehmann was a bookworm who loved practicing clarinet. By the time her high school’s freshman year drew to an end Lehmann had already emerged as a star clarinet player. She had found herself a spot in the band.
That First Meeting
They met for the first time in 1958. At that time Lehmann and Vinar were 13 and 15 respectively. The boy felt an immediate attraction towards her but did not express it. He doubted that the girl might get scared considering her shy nature. The best thing about time is that it changes. By 1960, many things had changed. Vinar had acquired fame as a sports star and Lehmann had turned into a pretty musician.
Match In Heaven
The two were meant to draw to each other. Vinar took a step ahead when he asked her to go on prom night with him. Interestingly, instead of asking her face to face, he conveyed her request with the help of an inscription in her yearbook. The girl did not delay a second in saying yes.
Others Were Jealous
Well, this was not good news for all those girls who wanted to go with him. Lehmann said, “All the girls were jealous.” Vinar had been with many girls before but he had never felt the way he did with Lehmann. He knew that she was THE ONE. The two were crazy about each other. Lehmann had never expected that someone like Vinar would show interest in her. She was enjoying it.
Planning Future
Vinar had even started planning his future with her. They would spend hours discussing their future together. Their sweet love story was running smoothly until unexpected news destroyed everything.
Pregnant
The young couple soon learned that they were pregnant. Now it was something they were not prepared for. Not to mention, they were too young to think of any solution. Lehmann was only 15 years old at that time. So was it the end of their relationship? Fearing the end of their relationship, Vinar took a step…
The Proposal
He proposed to Lehmann. Though Lehmann was more than ready to start her new life with him, her parents raised their objection. Firstly, the girl was underage and secondly, her parents did not like him a bit. Moreover, her parents had already decided what were they going to do with the girl and her unborn baby.
Separate And Sad
The Lehmanns sent her to a “maternity home.” Vinar on the other side was all alone. Unlike today’s maternity homes aimed to give free and confidential care to deprived pregnant ladies, these hospitals prior to 70s used to work as adoption-oriented hospitals for single mothers. In those times, getting pregnant before marriage was a big taboo.
Always A Secret
Confidentiality was of top priority in those days. The girl too could not understand how to react. She was guilt-ridden too as she did not want her parents to face any problem just because of her. At the same time, she did not want to leave Vinar. However, she decided to obey her parents.
Comes Happiness
Nine months passed by in maternity home and she finally gave birth to a baby girl. They christened her Denise. The name was kept after baby’s father Dennis. The baby girl was put up for adoption just after her birth.
Put Up For Adoption
Lehmann was heart-broken when she learned that her baby has been put up for adoption. Despite the separation of nine months, Vinar and Karen were still in love with each other. For one more time, Vinar popped up the question to her and once again their parents disapproved of it.
Not Approved
Lehmann’s parents were just not ready to give approval to their relationship, no matter how much they tried. Vinar got himself enlisted in the army and Lehmann took admission in The University of Minnesota. Once again they were going into the long distance relationship.
Again Getting Separated
Even though they were miles away from each other, love between the two did not lessen a bit. Vinar would write her letters. However, those letters never reached Lehmann as her father would hide them once they arrived. Gradually misunderstanding crept up into their relationship. Vinar always wondered why was she not replying oblivious to the fact that the girl never got any of his letters. On the other side, Lehmann was trying to come terms to the fact that he had forgotten about her.
Love Did Not Help
Both of them were immensely in love with each other yet could not be with each other. They both had their heart shattered into pieces. Vinar expressed, “I went through hell to be with her, but I couldn’t. We couldn’t be together.”
Moving On With Life
Their ways had been parted. Lehmann after graduating in Bachelor of Science in Interior Design got married and soon became a mother. Vinar too tied the knot after being done with his military duty and fathered children. Though the two had gone their separate ways, they still could not forget each other.
After Half A Century
Fifty years went by and the two had gone much ahead in their lives. However, they still had not moved on. Vinar understood it at a dinner party when one of his friends posed a question to the group, “If your doctor gave you 60 days to live, who would you want to take out to dinner and just talk to?” The only name that came to Vinar’s mind was Karen Lehmann.
Feelings Rushing Back
It was then Vinar realized how much had he missed her. He still wanted to be with her. Some days after the dinner, Vinar opened a LinkedIn profile. The man had separated from his wife many years ago. Little did Vinar know that this insignificant action of his was going to bring a big change in his life.
The Idea
He surfed the website to know more about its features. He then started searching for his co-workers on it. While going through the name of list an idea struck him. How about searching his high school sweetheart, Karen? The man had no expectation of finding her but still, he had hope.
Typing Her Name
With a racing heart, he typed “Karen Lehmann” and waited for the result to come. Well, there was a big list. He checked the first and second but none of them matched his search. However, when he saw the third person his heart skipped a beat. It was her Karen. She was living in Monroe, Washington and was a home design professional. Vinar shouted out in joy, “That’s my lady!”
A Sign
Vinar took it as a sign. He knew that he still loved her but was not sure about Karen’s feeling. He wondered if she remembered him. There was only one way to know i.e. to call her. Vinar rang her up. A lady from the other end said, Hello……..
Old Friend
It was her receptionist. She inquired who was calling her. He could not understand what to say so replied, “tell her an old friend of fifty years ago called. My name is Denny.” The receptionist did not take the call seriously. However, dropped a text to Karen.
Calling Him Back
Karen remembered it all. She called him in minutes of receiving the text. Lehmann was surprised, doubtful and happy while making the call. And when she finally heard the voice of Vinar, for one more time she felt love. True love has a habit of coming back. They remained separated for more than fifty years. Did not communicate even for once during the span yet their love for each other was still young and intense. They began communicating via email and gradually took it to the phone.
Together Forever
This time even the Almighty did not want them to separate. Lehmann too was single like Vinar. After a few months of exchanging emails and calls, they decided to see each other in person. Vinar decided to fly to Washington to see his old sweetheart. He was nervous, excited, and happy. After a few hours, he reached his destination and in no time he was going to meet HER.
The Day
It was January 19th, 2015. He did not know what Karen had grown into. He did not know if she held the same feelings for him as she used to once. They finally met and that was the second time both had fallen in love again. The first time too was with each other. Those years had taught her many lessons, the first being that they were made for each other.
Wait So Long
There was no point waiting any further as they already had waited for about fifty years. He proposed her again and this time they did get married. “It was wonderful. Absolutely wonderful.” Vinar said joyfully. Lehmann who finally had become Lehmann-Vinar packed her stuff to move to Minnesota to her one and only true love and now her husband too. But still, there was something missing…….
Incomplete
They couldn’t be happier. But still, they felt their celebration was incomplete. This was strange as they had been waiting for this life for decades and now when they were living it they were not feeling as good as they should have. The duo soon realized what was missing…….
Their Child
It was their daughter that Lehmann’s parents had put up for adoption. Their family was incomplete without her. However, the two had different thoughts on it. Whereas Dennis was sure that their daughter would accept them wholeheartedly, Karen was in doubts. What if their truth would ruin her life? Dennis tried to convince her, “I found you now, and my life will be complete if we find our daughter.” It was then Karen agreed. First, they found the adoption agency that had put up their daughter for adoption. The couple wrote a letter requesting the agency to give them information about the current address of their daughter. After a few days, they received a letter from the agency.
Found Her
The agency had managed to locate their daughter even after all these years. Denise had adopted a new name as well, Jean Voxland. The woman was 56 years old and was living a happy married life with three children. Furthermore, she was not living much farther from her biological parents in Kenyon Minnesota. So how did Jean react?
The Letter
Jean received a letter informing her that a family member of hers wanted to come in contact with her. Initially, she took it as a scam and threw the letter in the trash. However, her husband had different thoughts. He decided to inquire about it. After doing some detective work he found that the letter indeed had come from an adoption agency. It was then Jean decided to answer. Her astonishment knew no bounds when she learned that it was her biological parents who wanted to see her.
Contacting Agency
After getting the letter from her parents, Jean Voxland decided to have words with the agency. Jean had tried looking for her birth parents some years ago but never achieved anything. When the news reached to Vinars, they were extremely happy. Dennis had never seen her. So he was very thrilled. But now the question was would their daughter understand why they had given her up? They were soon going to see each her in the Lutheran Social Services office.
Meeting Them
They had set up a meeting in late May of 2016. The venue was offices of Lutheran Social Services in Saint Paul, Minnesota. They all were initially nervous. However, their nervousness turned into happiness when they saw each other. Jean felt an immediate connection with them.
Divine Intervention
Jean explained, “I feel like there’s been divine intervention here. For…us to get together the way we did, everybody had to be in the right place at the right time.” Now their family has grown quite large. Why would it not be? Their family comprises of Dennis’ three children, Karen’s son from their former marriage, and now Jean and her family.
Business Together
They already had become family and now they have also become business partners. The family has formed a company and named it Vinar Companies. The company manufactures furniture.
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