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You Said Yes

It was the summer of ‘70 when we first met in Chicago land.
By the summer of ‘71, I had asked for your hand in marriage,
and YOU SAID YES.

In the summer of ‘72, we said, “I do” and went on our honeymoon.
We later found a cozy apartment in a nice north-side neighborhood.
Less than three months later, we were asked to run a little school.
So, we headed for southern Wisconsin, because again, YOU SAID YES.

Under unfortunate circumstances, the school was forced to close, and in less than 18 months we headed back to Chicago. Our first child was born during
our short-lived stay in Wisconsin. We had great friends there. You could have said, “No, let's stay in Wisconsin”. But you believed in me, and yet again, YOU SAID YES.

Later on, the organization with which I worked secured new leadership, and I
chose to go in a different direction. I found a good new job and an even nicer apartment not far from the lake. Our little girl was less than a year old, but it seemed I was restless and destined to do new things and go to new places.

With a good family, a good job, and a nice place to live, one would think that settling down would be the appropriate thing to do. But within less than a year of being back in Chicago, I spoke to you about moving to Mississippi to help the poor and start a church. I would have understood if you had said no; but in the summer of ‘74, YOU SAID YES.

By the summer of ‘78, the Mississippi fever had run its course, and the California sunshine was heavy on my mind. Although it would take us 2,000 miles away from family and friends, you never said, “No, I don’t think we should go”. But you believed in me, and yet again, YOU SAID YES.

As I look back, you saying yes means so much to me. It means that you have always believed in me during our 44 years of marriage. During those early years, I experienced some defeats and at times was also mistreated.
Had you not believed in me, I am certain that I would have retreated.

For any measure of difference that my life has made and is making in our world, I am indebted to you and grateful to God for bringing you into my life. For all those years that you have stood by my side and always believed in me, I pause just now and say, “Thank you”. I want to thank you for being so kind, and for always being the very best friend of mind.

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