This is a post which I deleted in 2012 -- greeted then with both joy and vicious disapproval. It finally makes its reappearance here. For those who may not know the story, E is of largely Xhosa descent, and was brought up in (some would say) poverty on a remote plateau:
"In keeping with an ancient Christian tradition, my late wife Mirjam named her 'Replacement' before she died. In fact, not only did she name her, but she instructed me carefully about her. I deeply trusted Mirjam's judgement, and saw it as an act of love. Friends with European roots had mixed feelings, and tended to wonder how one might reconcile an arrangement with love -- while friends with African roots didn't seem to think twice. At first, E and I met privately once a week, to wait on God's will together. Then we took a series of tentative steps to discover whether, as we put it, 'our journey was going anywhere' -- for instance, visiting her clan, and meeting with Church elders. Over a period of a year and more, an awkward, arranged relationship changed into love. I discovered a greater treasure in E than I ever imagined was there. An announcement is to follow." 15 May 2012
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