50 Years Ago

Tomorrow, Friday, the 18^th of March is a significant day to my husband and me. On this day, fifty years ago, we became engaged. It seems like yesterday to us, but a long time ago to many of you.

Our story is an unbelievable one. What I call a God-incidence. See, we’d only known one another for one short week. Yes. You read that correctly. One week. A mutual friend introduced us. J, as I call my husband, attended the Baptist college on the south side of town, Samford University. I attended Birmingham-Southern College on the western side of town. The town was Birmingham. Had it not been for this friend, we likely would never have met.

But God had plans for our lives. (Read Jeremiah 29:11).

THE BEGINNING

I’ll spare you all the details, but that first date was spent with him touring my dorm which was having an open house. It was New Women’s Dorm. Lovely, catchy name, huh? It was the newest dorm for women on campus thus the name. It had a unique design. The friend who introduced us wanted to see the dorm at the open house, so I called to tell him about it. He declined but said his roommate would like to come.

At this time, we hadn’t met. Next thing I know, we’re on the phone, I’m explaining, and he’s heading to my side of town to see this new-fangled dorm. I reckon the Methodists were a bit more lenient with guys being in the girls’ dorms than his Baptist counterparts were.

We toured the dorm. Believe me. There were tons of people there. Nothing funny going on. Besides, I had a rehearsal as it was Concert Choir tour time. He wanted to tag along saying he loved music. Really?

SERIOUSLY?

Well, he went with me, and my group and I did our thing. Afterward, the two of us sat outside in the amphitheater, just outside the music building. We talked until the wee hours. Now, remember I was from Andalusia, a tiny town in south Alabama. Well, his mother was from Andalusia. Say what? She was in the class of 1940. Unbelievable. Not only that, but his grandmother also still lived there and he’d spent time at her home as a kid and knew many of my friends or acquaintances.

This was getting weirder by the moment. But wait . . .

It gets even better!

His grandmother was in this club for older ladies called The Sunshine Club. It was sponsored by members of the Altrusa Club. My mother was in Altrusa. Turns out, my mother was his grandmother’s sponsor. Can you see God’s hand yet?

OUR HEARTS KNEW

We talked about so many things and learned we had many things in common, not just these weird connections. About 2 a.m., he walked me back to my dorm and he went back to SU. I went in and told my suitemates I’d just met the man I was going to marry.

I wasn’t kidding! A week later, we became engaged. March 18, 1972. Fifty years ago, tomorrow.

Our parents thought we were crazy, but when you know, you know.

But our story gets even crazier. Years later, while doing our genealogies, I discovered that my GGG grandfather and his GG grandfather knew one another. They were friends. Such good friends that his GG grandfather had a grandson named Burdeshaw Miller. That’s how I found the connection. See, my grandmother was a Burdeshaw. Not the most common name on earth. There had to be a connection. And that was it.

We say we were meant to be, and our love story began beneath the stars in the amphitheater that spring night in Birmingham, but it really began in the heart of God, many years before we even knew one another.

GOD IS OUR GLUE

We’ve had good days and we’ve had bad days. Happy days and sad days. We’ve even experienced spiritual warfare.  We’ve reared four sons and we now have a beautiful daughter-of-our-hearts and two perfect granddaughters.

The one thing that has kept us together all these years is God. We made a covenant with him 49 years ago, come August. Through good times and tough times, God has been there, right beside us. He’s the center of who we are, separately and together. And we know we’re better together.

Some things are simply meant to be. They are God-ordained from the beginning of time.

If you’re reading this, J, and I know you are, always remember ILYWTPPTUIMOGAWMCF!

Blessings, y’all!

 

This is so true. Please excuse my sentimentality this week. It truly does seem like just yesterday. Know we are praying for each of you. Praying you have everlasting love.