The Laura in my life

January 18th, 1975-plus 34 years coming up this weekend. I want to blog for the next several days on the meaning of my marriage. I start with a disclaimer. I am a neglectful husband. I do not treat my wife with the care and concern I should. I get wrapped up in my never ending 7 day schedule. I immerse myself in the web, in books, in movies. Yet our love and friendship has endured and is the greatest blessing of my life.

I was not a prolific dater. Too shy. Had two steady girlfriends and a smattering of prom type dates before I met Laura. After two years in seminary I was scheduled for a year of youth ministry in Alabama. I returned from the break up of a relationship that was mostly long distance and went sour when it got serious. That was the spring of my 23rd year. I had a long thoughtful thousand mile prayer and planning meeting in my head while I drove back from south Florida to Mississippi.

The next few days I started cruising my college campus across town, as I often did. Slowing down as I approached my old girl hunting upper class dorm, I saw this petite brunette with long hair walking across the campus. I was taken with her appearance and beauty.

I plotted with Mrs. Dennis, the sweet dorm mother, who had befriended me in the outworking of my plan to find a good woman. I found out that Laura was a junior and had completed Junior College on the gulf coast, and when Mrs. Dennis told her a Seminary guy would like to meet her, I later discovered that Lauras first roomate has been my ex girlfriend. Laura had seen my picture among her things and saw her present boyfriend and apparently commented that she had broken up with the better looking fellow.

After waking up with this women for 34 years, I still remember the palpable queasy excitement of meeting her that first night. I asked her to attend the Symphony with me. I went back to my dorm and told my roomates I had met my future wife. Sure, yeah. What a joke?