A man was once quoted as saying "There's only one man who ever lived who had a wife who could not say 'I could have married so and so.' That man was Adam." Eve didn't have much choice, nor did Adam. I am certain, however, they were perfectly suited for each other.
My wife and I, after nearly 45 years[1] of marriage, feel we also are perfectly suited to one another.
In any case, Eleanor has never to my recollection said she could have married this or that guy. Not that there weren't times in which I'd given her plenty of cause to lament and to use that statement.
She is one of those women who grow closer and closer to the Lord as she spends many of her early morning hours in prayer for others. The eternal destiny of every person with whom she crosses paths (and some whom she's never even seen) is continually on her mind. She is living the life God requires of us, at least those of us who claim to be Christians.
I have been richly blessed of God to have been made "one flesh" with this woman. She is nearly as perfect in her dealings with me and others as I could ever have hoped for. Don't get me wrong, she has her faults as we all do; but if comparisons were to be made, she'd have to come out near the top...not that she would seek such acclaim.
It may be that at our first meeting I addressed her as "Eleanor." But it couldn't have been many days before she became "Honey" or "Sweetheart." And in all these years since, I've always called her by those names—though I added "Mother" when the kids came along. It just doesn't seem right to use the name Eleanor—too impersonal, I guess.
When our three sons were growing up and in need of both father and mother images, my wife was always there to fill both parts, and then some! The vacancy I created by my lack of participation caused more work for her in care and discipline, but she filled the bill so well, our sons to this day think of me as having been "not too bad" as a father (they could have thought a lot less of me had it not been for her!). So to her, this dedication is addressed.
Others to whom I wish to dedicate this writing include my sister Marie, my three sons, my Rhetoric I/II teacher, Mr. L.G. Hutchison, and my brothers Phil and Ed. My folks played a huge part in rearing me to seek the "straight and narrow" path, too, and they along with my kid sister Dorothy, who passed away in 1976, are in my wishes of dedication.
My wife has been my lifelong partner and encourager; my sister Marie has been after me for years to put into writing the experiences of my life; my sons also have asked me to do the same; my brothers played a big part in my growing up years; my Rhetoric teacher is the sole source of created desire to write anything at all; and my folks and sister Dorothy bring sweet memories. So to all these, who are and were such a big part of my life, this dedication is made.
 About the Author |
 TOC |
 Foreword |
Footnotes
1[Return to Text] The author later penciled in here what appears to be either a 52 or a 56 (along with changes made to other pages), so he must have started to revise and make corrections to what he'd typed either 7 or 11 years earlier. John and Eleanor celebrated their 66th Anniversary on December 27, 2012.