She Was Only 16 - When We Fell In Love!

The mid seventies was a good time; it was the advent of the new computer; the "Thrilla" in Manila; Saturday Night Live premiered; Barbara Jordan became the first Black person to keynote a political convention; it was also when I fell in love. It was still the time when a time-honored tradition of writing to a girl's dad was the expectation of her mom if you were to stand a chance of ever seriously dating her. I had graduated high school and was excited about the prospect of becoming a male nurse, only to have my hopes dashed by the mailman, who delivered the notice for the nurses' exam the day after the exam occurred. So much for my goal of becoming a male nurse.

But love was in the air! Amelia entered my world--she was only sixteen when we fell in love, and I was a mere eighteen. Within weeks of having my hopes dashed by the late mail, I got my first job working for a government corporation and soon started to see more of my flame, the beautiful young dame who had captured my heart and every bit of the attention I had to give.

The frequency of our meetings accelerated in mid-1975 and hit a crescendo by December of that year. By then, I had fully complied with the time honored tradition; I had sought, in writing, and received the permission of the sire of my life-long partner--permission that set in motion the joys of courtship, the paternal blessing of our blooming relationship, the raw emotions of love, the thrills, and the trust of two young hearts yearning to be one; all harbingers of marital bliss.

Today, 30 years after our vows of marital fidelity, I can truly say that I am very happy with my life, and I am better than blessed with a beautiful wife, and together we are blessed with two wonderful daughters who are more precious to us than gold; they make our lives complete.

Every morning when I wake, I thank the almighty Creator for my Mimi--my friend, my wife, the love of my life. Thank God for 30 years - 30 wonderful years. Today!