The Cat is Out of the Bag

I just read the news that Billy Bob Thornton’s recent marriage to longtime girlfriend, Connie Angland leaked to the public yesterday.  Billy Bob and Connie were secretly wed in a private ceremony on October 22, 2014 and we are just learning of it now.  At first I was amazed that, as a celebrity, Billy Bob wanted to and was able to keep his marriage to Connie on the q.t. for several months.  Then, I stopped to think!  As a multiple marrier just like Billy Bob, I too, wanted little fanfare when I said my vows just one year ago for the fifth time.  I returned to work a few days later acting as though nothing unusual had happened over the Christmas break.  If one looked closely, though, they could see a new ring on my left hand, a small framed wedding photo on my desk and my sheepish smile when I was asked about how I spent my holiday.  I was hoping my new circumstances would seem like no big deal to anyone else, although it was a big deal to me “privately”.

Billy Bob and I have a lot in common.  We both experienced a string of marriages in our earlier years that ended on a sad note each time.  However, it appears we have finally learned how to have a healthy, long-term relationship that has led us down the aisle just one more time.  Perhaps the sixth time is the charm for Billy Bob and the fifth one is for me.  Time will certainly tell.  But at least, the 10 years Billy Bob and Connie have had together prior to marriage and the almost 10 years my spouse and I took to road-test our relationship before saying our “I Do’s”, is a good barometer.

Now that the “cat is out of the bag”, I hope Billy Bob can relax and go forth with confidence that he can, indeed, do marriage.  Hopefully, no one will continue to judge Billy Bob for the decisions he made yesterday, as it is who he is today and the lessons he has learned along his journey, that really count.  May the sixth time be his lucky charm!