It is a true blessing to have such a wonderful wife. God was more than gracious when he sent her to me. She will always be God's message of unconditional love and I will forever be grateful.
Alice is a tremendous friend, a gracious helpmate, a wonderful encourager, a loving and thoughtful step-mother, a devoted oldest daughter, a loving older sister, a caring Aunt, and a great "boss" (of course, not of me!). Most of all, she is one who loves God and seeks to honor Him and serve Him.
For whoever I am, whatever I become, she is the force behind it all.
The Yellow Rose
He leaned the box, containing a single yellow rose, up against the door. Inside was an “offer”. One that he hoped she would accept. One that would change his life forever.
They had met over a year before. The scene in which they first shared a longing glance was at a local Holiday Inn lounge. He was their doing PR for the local radio station. She was there after work with some close friends. They danced a couple of times as he mustered the courage to ask her out – dinner, bowling, a walk in the park – it did not matter to him. He just wanted to be with her. There was something comforting about her glance. A calmness about her touch. He knew there was more to her than just an attraction. It was unlike anything he had known before.
When he wrenched up the nerve to ask her out, she simply replied, “I don't go out with men I meet in bars.” He surmised that was a good rule, but certainly she could make an exception. After all, he was harmless and a bit more than smitten with her soft eyes and gentle smile. Nevertheless, it was still “no.” So, he gave her his business card and offered, “If you ever change your mind, please call. We can do whatever you would like, no strings attached.”
It was a year later before they would see each other again. There was one time they caught a glimpse of each other at an intersection. Other than that, he waited, and she never called.
One evening, after an early night with his bowling buddies, he stopped by a local dance club to sneak in a line dance or a cotton-eyed Joe before heading over to his local stomping grounds. You see, his life was empty then - mostly filled with nights of drinking and carousing. A few years back he and God had made an agreement; if God let him alone, he would leave God alone. Shallow relationships, drinking and dancing were ways to fill the void in his life.
When he walked into the club, it echoed with its own emptiness. However, he did spot one table of almost a dozen women. From the looks of things, a party was going on and he was determined to join in. Sauntering over to the table, he politely inquired, “Would any of you ladies like to dance?” From the far side of the table he heard, “Sure Norm, I would.” His eyes, though a bit blurred, could not believe what he was seeing. It was Alice. The same woman he had met almost a year before.
They danced a few dances and talked for an hour or so. When it was time for the group to leave, he walked up to the table, and with a boldness that came from a place he knows not where, he blurted out, “I want you all to know I am going to marry this woman on Valentines Day!” I expect they were all in a bit of shock, since it was already January. In fact, they were there celebrating Alice's birthday. They all chuckled and looked at one another in disbelief, but he repeated his prediction. “Really, I am going to marry this woman on Valentines Day THIS YEAR!” Then he turned to Alice and asked, “Would you go out with me now?” Her rationale was simple; she had “known” him for a year, so the environment did not matter any more. She said, “Yes”.
On each date, he would open their conversation with, “Since we are getting married in a few weeks, we don't have a lot of time to waste...” Then he queried her on her favorite colors, where she grew up, what she thought of this or that. They had plenty of “knowing” to get done if they were getting married.
One evening she told him that she had received a job offer in a different state. Originally, she had turned it down, but now the offer was too good to refuse. She was planning to accept it. “What about MY plans,” he thought. “Surely, she cannot forget MY plans. We are supposed to get married.” Little did he know there were even bigger plans in the making than his. The master of the universe was putting together a miracle for that man.
He was confused about what to do. Certainly, he could not compete with such a lucrative offer. Then again, there was no way on earth he was going to let this woman just leave. Somehow, someway, there was more to her than he understood. Something purposeful.
That's when he decided to make his “offer.” He bought a single yellow rose, put it in a box and enclosed an invitation to join the MacD Corporation for the rest of her life. Then he leaned the box up against her door.
As the story goes, they did not wed on Valentine’s Day that year. It was actually May. They have been together twenty-five years now. The “MacD Corporation” is very much solvent and yields a substantial profit each year of love, laughter, and blessings. She still has the box that yellow rose came in and he no longer lives with that emptiness. Each day when he tells her “I love you,” it is like saying a big “thank you” to God for His demonstration of unconditional love. For little did he know, God’s plan was more substantial than his could have ever been.
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