When
did you know that the person that you married was “the one”? What
tipped you off? (Serendipity Bible 10th Anniversary Edition,
page 1353).
I
first met Kathy in Sunday school—the Good Shepard class. The class
sat around a table and used the Upper Room as the source of our
lessons. There was a discussion of each lesson led by a great
facilitator and teacher, Mitch Marsh. The class discussions of a
meditation could be extensive, with maybe only one or two meditations
required to fill the hour. I got to know Kathy during these
discussions. I saw here as bright, kind, compassionate, humble, and
filled with self-awareness—she knew who she was and was aware of
her determinant convictions. I can’t remember when I was not
impressed by her. In other words, at the first class I was drawn to
her and she later confided that she was drawn to me. She said she
liked when our legs touched under the table. I, being dense, was not
even aware of this at the time.
It
is a great feeling when one feels a deep affinity with someone. The
“family feeling” develops almost immediately and time seems not
to matter—I have known you for an hour…or has it been forever?
You are not outside the “family circle” but within it. All the
rest, as the saying goes, is mere detail…the marriage day, for
example, a stamp upon fait accompli.
My
brother Bob and wife Linda (both ministers) led the wedding ceremony.
Bob got a kick out of my interest when discussing the service when
exactly I could kiss the bride. This too was merely a formality for
the vitality of our love had already found expression many times.
Kathy
passed away last November. During the memorial service I read the
following poem:
Assurance
of Authenticity
Kathy
you made my days
By
standing humble and true,
Your
steady strength was incredible
Your
major impact you.
I
regret when I have reproached you
For
finding me--as you would say--”sweet”,
For
now I see what sweetness is
It
is what all should be—
It
is your hopeful smile,
Your
winning generosity,
Your
simple grasp of facts
Filled
with humility.
It
is your kind insistence
That
no worthwhile effort is void;
It
is your reliable innocence
Saving
me from despair;
It
is your steady focus when at work or play
Trusting
that passion's disciplines
Will
reap abundant things.
My
dearest you have gifted me --when all is said and done --
With
love's powerful insights,
With
childlike faith,
The
assurance of authenticity.
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