Meet the Parents

This week, my parents celebrated their 35th wedding anniversary. I thought I’d share their story with you – I’ve always found it fascinating.

Dad and Mom were raised very much the same. Their parents were members of the Wesleyan Church and held to the beliefs and doctrines of that denomination. They loved music – Dad sang and played his trumpet, Mom loved to sing. But since they were miles apart with Dad in Ohio and Mom in Atlanta, Georgia, it’s amazing they ever crossed paths at all.

But God had orchestrated it all from the beginning. Mom’s uncle just happened to be the pastor of my Dad’s church – Trinity Wesleyan in Greenville, Ohio. When she and her parents went there for a visit, Mom and Dad met for the first time.

If I remember correctly, it was Mom’s aunt who introduced the two teenagers to each other. Even though they barely spoke that Sunday morning, they sensed a connection right away. My Dad was attending Olivet Nazarene University in Illinois, my Mom at Central Wesleyan College in South Carolina (now Southern Wesleyan University). They began writing letters, making phone calls, and trying to visit each other as much as possible. I think my Dad said something romantic like, “Don’t you think it’d be cheaper to get married than to keep spending money on long distance and airline tickets?” Mom was ecstatic and happily quit school to get her MRS degree.

They walked down the aisle on August 15, 1970 – Dad was 19, Mom was 20. They had seen each other face to face only 10 times before saying “I do.” Dad transferred to the Ohio State University where he graduated, then they moved back to Greenville, where my Mom learned what it meant to be a farmer’s wife – a big transition from being an Atlanta city girl.

Thirty-five years later, they are still saying “I do” everyday. Thanks, Dad and Mom.