39 Years Ago Today

Where have the years gone? I can hardly believe that I'm old enough to have been married 39 years!  Well, if the truth be known, I'm really not old enough.  But, nonetheless, I began my "marriage journey" at the "ripe old age" of 18 (I was just 7 weeks shy of 19) and Tommy was 24.  I have often said that if he had not been older and more mature than me, our marriage might not have survived.  But, we were both raised by parents that taught us that marriage was forever.  So, we went into our marriage with that mindset and it has served us well.

The kiss that "sealed the deal"

I met Tommy when I was 12 years old and told my parents at that time that one day I would marry him.  Within a year after meeting him, our family moved from Louisiana to Virginia and my heart was crushed.  But, we did travel back to Arkansas annually to see my Dad's parents and we would come through Louisiana and see Tommy's family.  Our families had developed a friendship as well, so that helped in our getting to see each other.

 Tommy was really excited about the cake cutting ~laugh~

I doubt that either of our parents really thought about Tommy and me marrying one day.  After all, he was 5 1/2 years older than me and we were 1000 miles apart.  But, as the next 6 years passed, we managed to see each other about once, twice if we were lucky, a year.  Tommy graduated from college the same year I graduated from high school.  He went on to get his MBA and I began my short lived college career at a Baptist college in Bluefield, West Virginia.

Tasting the cake is the most fun

 We did not have regular communication, but not because I didn't want us too. Tommy was dedicated to finishing up his education before he would allow himself to even think about marriage.  At the end of his next to the last semester of graduate school he decided to give me a call.  We had not talked in well over a year.  But, during that call we discussed marriage and (sparing you all the details) we decided that we would get married the following summer.

Tommy planned a trip to see me during his semester break and stayed about a week.  We finalized our plans with my parents and he headed back to Louisiana.  I flew to Louisiana in March and we set the date for the wedding.  It would be June 6, 1971.

 We've just returned from our honeymoon and about to head towards Louisiana

Tommy graduated one week before the wedding and then drove to Virginia to prepare for our wedding.  Meanwhile, I did not go back to Bluefield College the 2nd semester, but got a job at the Kroger's down from our house and tried to stash away a little money for us and help pay for our wedding.

Let me assure you that there are so many more details about our romance and marriage, but the short version will have to do. ~smile~ There is no doubt that the Lord had His hand over us throughout the entire ordeal.  We hardly ever dated, guess you might say, we hardly knew each other.  But, we certainly both shared the same beliefs, the same ideas of marriage and had our parents support. 


These past 39 years have brought ups and downs, sadness,   frustration, and lots of happiness.  But, neither one of us would trade them for anything. We've grown to accept each other for who we are and quit trying to change one another. We've been blessed beyond measure and we give God the glory and honor for His guidance and watch care.  Without Him we would not have made it.

39 years later

 I've felt loved and cherished from day one and count that such a blessing.  Not only has Tommy been a wonderful husband, but he has been a great Father to our two children. We look forward to continuing on our "marriage journey."