Love at First Sight

Looking back over the last 25 years it is hard to believe time has flown by so quickly! I went to a church conference in Fort Worth, Texas with my family in October 1985. On Saturday evening, October 12, 1985 I was walking around the Fort Worth Convention Center and came across my mother's college friend. She had a lovely girl with her. I still remember the red and white dress she was wearing. She introduced me to the girl, Stacey, her niece. After I asked Stacey to sit with me, her aunt excused herself to go sit with her mother.

During the meeting we noticed Stacey's family was a few sections to one side of where we were sitting and my family was just a few sections on the other side of us. Even though I do not remember how many people were there I do know it was over 10,000 because the place was packed and holds 13,500. I thought about how small the odds were that we would sit in just the right spot to be able to see both of our families.

While growing up I always heard it was good to marry someone that you have things in common. I started asking her about her family and about what she liked and what she did not like. Looking back she must have felt like, "why is he grilling me with all of these questions?" I was so intrigued by her answers and how they fit what I liked and how I felt. It made me very comfortable to talk to her and be with her. The preacher came to the pulpit to start preaching and I thought that I had better stop talking as she might think I was disrespecting the man of God.

At some point I mentioned since I was visiting there I did not have a car so she said that we could use her car. After church we took her Aunt, grandmother and another lady she had brought to the meeting back to her house. While there I met her mom. After a visiting with her family she took me back to the Fort Worth Convention Center because my parents and I were staying at a hotel there. We walked around the convention hall and talked.

The next day I had to fly back home to Boston, Massachusetts. I told my dad on the plane during the trip home I had found the girl I was going to marry. My phone bill for that month was very high as I called her regularly. I was obsessed and wrote her at least one letter every day. Luckily for us there was an airline where we could fly round trip for only $99.00. During one such trip to Texas on November 3, 1985 I asked her to marry me. It had not even been one month and I was engaged.

We were married on June 14, 1986. This was only 8 months after we met. There were some who said that our marriage would never last. This year we will celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary. We have three boys and love each other more today than ever. I love you, Stacey.