Name confusion explained

Dear editor:

It has been brought to my attention several times in the last two years that a misunderstanding has developed due to my sharing the same first and last name as a service member stationed at Mountain Home Air Force Base.

Many of my family's longtime acquaintances have received the impression that my wife, Michelle, and I have divorced due to marriage and divorce announcements in the Mountain Home News.

Some of these people have been so kind as to call our former church and ask about us, sincerely offering any help they could give.

We were touched by that and I thank you, but I am happy to say that Michelle and I will be celebrating our 17th wedding anniversary in December of this year. Although she has been tempted to kill me a few times, Michelle has not left me, and this is good since I don't think any other woman would have me.

Nor have I taken up bigamy or polygamy, neither of which I could have afforded anyway, had I wished to try them.

On a serious note, I know the people who have asked me about this were genuinely concerned, not simply interested in gossip, and that means a lot to me.

Due to some economic and personal reasons, my wife and I made a decision to relocate to the state of Oklahoma, in the city where she was born.

The sole reason for our leaving suddenly and not getting to say goodbye to everyone we knew was owing to our desire to beat the snow on our move. I'm happy to say I did find a very good job and we are doing well, but the downside to all of this was leaving behind the city where my father and my own children were born and raised, and where we had so many loving family and friends.

Mountain Home is a good place to live and Idaho is a great state. I know people not from Idaho don't understand and think us vain when we say things like this, but Idaho really is a piece of the old America that our grandparents knew. Some states can't say that anymore. Perhaps someday we'll return.

For now, I just wished to assure anyone who might have thought otherwise that my family is still together, still involved in church and the ministry, and very happy.

I wish everyone in Mountain Home the very best and hope to see you all again someday.

Justin Becker

Moore, Okla.