Parents think I’m cursed for loving a divorcee

Dear Pastor,

I am a Jamaican woman living in Florida. I listen to you every night. It makes me feel as if I am right there in Jamaica. I like to hear you laugh, and I know some of your callers by name.

My boyfriend is American and when he is with me, he enjoys listening, too. He is not always at home because he drives trucks, and sometimes for days we can only talk on the phone. I don't like his job, but he makes enough to help me pay for my courses. Sometimes he talks to me until I fall asleep.

I am longing to visit Jamaica, but I can't do so until the latter part of 2023. My parents think that I have made a wrong choice because my boyfriend is 33 and divorced. My parents do not believe in divorce. My mother told me that marrying a divorcee is bringing a curse on me. I don't know how you feel about that. But my boyfriend told me that it was his wife's fault. He could prove that she was running around with other men, so he could not take it. They have two children who he supports.

I am 23. My mother took a long time to meet my boyfriend. My father was not like that. I could not take him to my parents' home. We met in a restaurant. My father came, but my mother did not. My father convinced her that it did not make sense to divide the family, as they could not choose for me; so she has come around. I can take him to our house these days. He did not want to go when I told him that she did not resent him. I was surprised when she hugged him and welcomed him. I do not have children. Is there anything wrong in marrying a divorcee? Nobody has to know that my boyfriend was married unless we tell them. He looks like any other man. Do you believe that by marrying a divorced man I am bringing a curse on myself?

This man came into my life when I was in need. Although he is hardly home, he pays my rent, which is very expensive. He has always loved Jamaican women. When he comes home, I pamper him and I don't allow him to do much because he is always on the road. His children do not come to where we are living. He goes to his ex-wife's house, picks them up, takes them home, and then takes them back to her. They know me, but I do not know their mother, and I want it to remain like that until we are married.

I asked my mother where in the Bible it stated that marrying a divorcee would bring a curse on one's self. She could not show me; and although she has now accepted this man, she still tells me that I should have chosen a man who was never married. The only problem I have with this man is that he is very heavy. He eats a lot of fast food.

My father is in his early 60s and plans to retire when he is 65. He has a home in Jamaica and is hoping to do some work on it and spend some time living there, but he will not return permanently to Jamaica. All his friends are in America. I love my parents, but I am still worried about what my mother told me. So please tell me whether she is right or wrong.

A.W.