A couple of days ago, my daughter wrote a blog about when she met her husband for the first time. She could remember the details of the day that was just 5 years ago. I also have memories of that time, at least the weeks following that day…but that’s a blog for another day.
Her reminiscing caused me to start thinking about when I met her mother. I don’t remember the date of when it happened…I don’t remember any names of the other people that were around…I don’t remember what I was wearing…But I remember her! That brown hair…Dark Brown Eyes…That Smile that melted me at first glance…Her petite body…Can I just say WOW!!!
I began my studies at East Texas Baptist College in the fall of 1982 after a stint of playing at Baylor University the previous year. During that fall semester, I met a lot of people. I had been dating a girl for a couple of months, but we “broke up” over our differences of what the ministry might look like for me. I was really just trying to get back into the swing of going to school that first semester. After the winter break, I was settled into going to classes. I had a very good friend from my home town as a roommate and I was actually enjoying the experience. Then it happened. I had seen this girl around campus…being a small school, you see everyone at some time.
It was basketball season. I love basketball. I would go to all of the games. Our team wasn’t as good as I would have liked, but it was still basketball. At this particular game, I was sitting in the stands with several other people — guys and girls alike. The game wasn’t nearly as interesting as being in the group. Some how the conversation turned to cooking, cleaning, ironing and the like. If my memory serves me correctly, the girls were all complaining about having to do such things.
(Just a side note, my roommate and I would iron our shirts every day. We would compete to see who could get the best crease in the shirt sleeves. Weird for guys, I know.)
After listening to them complain for a while, I finally spoke up. I blurted out that I could do all of those things and that I was in the habit of doing them. Of course I lied about some of it. I didn’t, nor do I clean very well. Cooking is not something that I’ve ever been confident in doing. But the ironing, I still do. But no one knew that I was lying. Well, my statement caught Lisa’s attention. She turned to me and proposed right there on the spot. (Obviously she was kidding, as we didn’t really know each other yet.) I should I said “yes” and swept her away to the courthouse and married her right then and there. I didn’t, but our relationship began at that moment.
We didn’t know it, but God was going to use that basketball game to bring us to a point 32 years later that we would not just be married with kids and grandkids, but we would also be in the marriage ministry together. What a ride it has been!!!
