In the fall of 1980, I saw for the first time the 17-year-old young lady who would become my wife. She was across the room at church, but I was so shy I didn’t talk to her until almost 1981! Just a few years later in 1983, I married my high-school sweetheart, Noreta, in that very church. Well, for accuracy, when we started dating I was a senior in high school and Noreta was a college freshman. Before you think I was some sort of miracle worker, after dating a while I found out that she graduated from high school a year early and that I am older than she is. I discovered that Noreta is both beautiful and very smart. I have learned that and many, many more great things from her in the four decades (and counting) we have been together.
In 1985, we were blessed with unexpected identical twin daughters. You read that correctly: unexpected identical twin daughters. We literally did not know we were having twins until the second baby was born! In the early stages of Noreta’s pregnancy, our doctor stated he didn’t “know the long-term effects of ultrasounds.” We were 22 years old at the time and didn’t ask the doctor to make an exception. We did ask him for that exception two years later when Noreta was pregnant with our son. We told him we don’t want to know about gender, just tell us a number! Now all three are married and have families of their own. At the time of this writing, we have 8 grandchildren.
One week after we were married, I began working as a student pastor in the very church where we were married. I was only 20 years old, so I was barely older than most of the students. For the next 33 years, I would be a pastor of churches in Alabama and Louisiana, but primarily located in Florida. Following my time as a pastor of a church, I joined Hospice to become chaplain. I have a master’s degree in leadership from Asbury Theological Seminary.
I love watching sports, especially college football. Go Gators! You will frequently find me learning from and mentoring other men – especially over breakfast. When our family is all under our roof, I enjoy smoking meats like ribs, chicken, turkey, ham and brisket in my smoker. I love watching our children being great parents with their children. I love seeing the sparkle that I still see in my brown-eyed girl who I met all those decades ago. Noreta, I love you more today than I did yesterday, but not as much as I will tomorrow.
As you read the words in my blog, I hope you gain a sense that God is with us at all times – even in the times that life doesn’t make any sense. I hope the emotion in my words tugs at the passion God has placed inside of you. By bringing out that yearning, I am confident that you will use that to help others as we journey together.