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One ordinary day, over 40 years ago, when I thought I “never wanted to see your face again” (yes, I said that to your face and sadly, it wasn’t the last time I would say stupid things), you responded by mailing me a funny card. On the cover was the picture of that funny old Quaker Oats character and inside were written the words, “Nothing is better for me . . . than thee!” God only knows what you saw in that mouthy, argumentative 16-year-old. I guess you were holding onto hope that I’d grow up.

I have that old card somewhere, and I smile whenever I come across it because truly, I can’t think of a time when I’ve had a moment’s doubt you felt that way, and you loved me best. In the garden, God gave Eve to Adam, bone of his bone, and thousands of years after that first wedding, God showed up in 1974, when Greg took Cathe to be his wife.

And so we have grown up and grown together, closer with each passing year. God has lovingly stitched us together tightly with so many fine strong threads that it’s hard to remember anything but this life we share.

So what do you think—will you keep taking me, distracted, nitpicky, running late again? It might get really interesting (hopefully I won’t forget how to cook your favorite enchiladas). I’ll promise to keep taking you, all of you: loving, loyal, generous, crazy, wonderful, messy, but most of all, best of all, my fiercely God-loving man.

It’s been 40 years, so before I lose this train of thought, I want to catch this minute and hold it in my hands to savor . . . We are not the same people we were when Pastor Chuck pronounced, “Greg and Laurie, man and wife.” (We owe him a thank-you for the slip-up. We’ve gotten lots of laughs out of that one.) We won’t be the same people a year from now. But I’ll always be your Cathe and you will be my Greg, exclusively, amazingly, uniquely, forever, until that certain extraordinary day…