Ye have heard that it hath been said,
Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.
But I say unto you,
Love your enemies, bless them that curse you,
do good to them that hate you,
and pray for them which despitefully use you,
and persecute you;
That ye may be the children of Your Father
which is in heaven:
for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good,…

Love never fails.
—    1 Corinthians 13:8a
If you’re a fan of true love, then this story is just for you. It’s the love story of Barbara and Kenneth Woehl of Thomson, Ill. It all started more than 50 summers ago.

Way ‘back in 1956, Barbara, a beautiful and horse-crazy teenage girl from Wilmington, N.C., decided to ride a bus for two days to go up to northern Nebraska to work at a very special horse ranch for the summer.

…

In the day when I cried thou answeredst me,
and strengthenedst me with strength in my soul.

— Psalm 138:3

This Wednesday, a girl I loved should be turning 21. She should be in college, making plans for spring break, and toasting her friends with her first champagne.

But Cara was born with an incredibly difficult heart defect.

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There be three things which are too wonderful for me,
yea, four which I know not:
The way of an eagle in the air;
the way of a serpent upon a rock;
the way of a ship in the midst of the sea;
and the way of a man with a maid.

…

Nevertheless I am continually with thee:
thou hast holden me by my right hand.
Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel,
and afterward receive me to glory.

— Psalm 73:23,24

Back again from our favorite retreat. It’s a huge wilderness lake in the North Woods of Minnesota.

…