B.C. couple's unusual honeymoon inspires enduring connection with family on cruise
Anna and Russ have taken on the role of grandparents for Dani and her sister.
SIDNEY, B.C. — Ever since their first date, Anna and Russ Hudson have been inseparable.
'Everywhere we go,' Russ smiles, 'we're holding hands!'
'We even hold hands when we're watching TV,' Anna adds.
Despite being in their seventies, the couple is young at heart.
'But at some point, we'll get old enough,' Anna looks down at their clasped hands and laughs. 'And we'll be holding each other up!''
When they first met in their sixties, Anna and Russ were single. While they weren't looking for love or expecting to find love, life had other plans.
'Oh my gosh!' Russ smiles. 'Love still exists!'
After four years of 'courting,' they got around to marrying, but decided to postpone the honeymoon.
'And every year we kept saying, 'We'll do it next year,'' Anna says.
Until that one year, they started losing friends and family to death and dementia.
'Life can turn on a dime,' Anna says. 'We realized, 'What are we waiting for?''
So, Russ booked a cruise, and Anna ordered a pair of custom t-shirts. One of them said, 'Our honeymoon cruise finally.' The other said, 'Only 13 years later.'
'My dad goes, 'Oh my God! Those shirts are so cute!'' Dani Bae recalls with a smile.
Dani and her family were on the same cruise, happened to sit next to Anna and Russ at dinner, and formed an instant connection.
'They radiated such a beautiful welcoming energy,' Dani smiles.
The feeling was mutual. So, after meeting multiple times on the cruise, they all agreed to stay in touch after it.
'It feels like we've known them forever,' Anna says.
Although they live in different cities, they talk frequently, visiting regularly, and in the year since they've met, become family.
'I didn't grow up with grandparents,' Dani says they live on the other side of the world. 'I couldn't vent or cry or get advice from them.'
And seeing as Russ and Anna met too late to have granddaughters of their own, they've taken on the role of grandparents to Dani and her sister.
'It makes me feel at peace,' Dani says of being their granddaughter. 'It feels like I belong in the world.'
'When they call me 'Grandpa,'' Russ fights back tears. 'They have brought so much joy to Anna and I.'
While Anna and Russ — who perpetually hold hands — know it's never too late to find that love you never want to let go of, they've also learned it's never too soon to find the right people to share it with.
'Love is never old. Love is always there,' Anna smiles. 'It can expand and be surprising and bring the most wonderful gifts.'
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