My wife, Nancy, and I have been together for thirty-four years. We met at Twenty-Five & Alive, a college/career group that our church hosted. The idea behind the name was that the group was for “older” singles. Nancy was only twenty-four at the time but came with her roommate who “did meet the age requirement”. Nancy and I met while washing dishes after one of these meetings.
We married and left Birmingham and all of our friends for Huntsville where I worked as an engineer for TRW and she continued her career as a dietitian. She followed me to Nashville where I had a good career in commercial real estate – until the “great recession of 1987”. She supported me when I said that I wanted to hang out my shingle as an executive search consultant – never mind the fact that there was nothing on my resume that even hinted that I might be successful in that endeavor.
She is a great wife and companion.
Often that last thing she says when she leaves for work is that she has been praying for me and will do so throughout the day.
She makes a very comfortable home for us.
She loves me when I am unlovable.
She encourages me in my hobbies of cycling and woodturning – complimenting my woodturning and urging me to get out on Saturdays and ride with the fellows.
She has believed in me during the discouraging times of my career.
Like Professor Honnell, she continues to tell me that I can do it and that I can compete with the best of them.
She has spent a lot of nights alone in Franklin while I was at a board meeting or taking a candidate to dinner in another city. This morning I had an early flight to Salt Lake City and she got up early to walk our two dogs – Bella and SnowBall.
Proverbs tells us that “Fathers can give their sons an inheritance of houses and wealth, but only the LORD can give an understanding wife” and that “A good woman is hard to find, and worth far more than diamonds”. I am blessed and thankful to have found that loving and understanding wife. I love you, Mite!
