My Tribute to My Best Friend

August 19 is just another day in August-except for me, it is the anniversary of my marriage to my wonderful wife! So indulge me for a few minutes, while I wax rhapsodic about this wonderful woman.

36 years ago, I chose to be yoked to her, thus capping a relationship that began in 1951. (This ought to be in Ripley’s Believe It Or Not. We were actually born in the same hospital one day apart. In fact, the same doctor delivered both of us. While our mothers enjoyed separate rooms in the maternity wing, we became good friends in the hospital’s nursery.) We literally knew each other all of our lives, having attended the same school from fifth grade on. But it was not until we were both in college (attending schools 200 miles apart) that we began to see each other in what became a serious relationship.

This remarkable woman has borne me two children, and by them, two grandchildren. She is my helper, my counselor, my biggest cheerleader, the anchor of all my affections, and my best friend. Somehow, she manages to juggle her time between domestic engineering, helping care for the grandchildren, walking 5 miles a day, and putting up with me!

Last May, she retired from a lifetime of teaching public school. She is enjoying her retirement, and like a bottle of fine wine, she is getting better with age.

Because she is central to my life, I can look forward to my future with peace, confidence, and joy. I am grateful to God for bringing this awesome woman into my life.