Jerusha's Happiness
the lover was good to her, but I felt he was a bad choice for her especially because she had kids. I always wonder how so many people seem to understand other peoples affections when it is not really shown or illustrated. They assume that over twenty years she never loved her husband or was never happy to witch I say she was at various times especially near the end.
There is love, when you are raising his kids and even though she was not given much affection as we may see it, it did not mean he was that way all the time. The other guy would have never made a good man afterwords because they did not fit. If she had gone with him that would have put a tremendous strain on there so called love with kids and a husband whom she was loyal to for so long.
She did not need the affection from her husband as viewers saw because she was busy also with helping in her way.