One Sunday in Spring, 1968, strawberry blond Dianne Weekley and I drove to Tuscaloosa. We went to the morning service at Forest Lake UMC where my Uncle Bobby was pastor. Afterwards we went to the fine new two-story parsonage for one of Aunt Martha’s signature delicious meals.

After lunch, Uncle Bobby sat with Dianne and me to listen why we were convinced we ‘had to’ get married sooner instead of later. He did his best to convince us that ‘true love’ waits, and that our marriage might not make it if we rushed it. That August 9th, young as we were, we got married.

Years later, we all laughed with Uncle Bobby and Aunt Martha, when Dianne seriously teased how at exasperating times she was tempted to leave, she stayed to keep Uncle Bobby from saying, ‘I told them so.’

Across our four dozen years together, Dianne has amazingly juggled and balanced her professional life of managing medical offices, being not only the preacher’s wife, but also a full faithful member in the churches we served – no piano playing…but teaching Sunday school, Bible School, leaning into the mind and hand stretching mission of UMW, directing weddings and Christmas pageants along the way…and demurely referring those with suggestions for me…to me.

Plus juggling, balancing the BIG plate of parenthood. Our first child came prematurely 25 months after we married, the first year of seminary instead of the planned last year. Over the years, Dianne managed her job, always left our parsonages better than we found them, and she parented our kids – Bailey, Andrew, and daughter like sister/sister in law Alyce. And likely not bargained for in 1968, she’s been de facto life coach-mentor-attitude adjuster…and lover of me.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus gives the simple to say and hard to do advice: let your ‘yes’ be ‘yes’ and your ‘no’ be ‘no’. I have marveled over the years how Dianne’s ‘yes’ is a real ‘yes’. She has shown that you keep the ‘yes’ of marriage promises day in and out. That when you say ‘yes’ you will do something – jobwise, church-wise, relationship-wise, service-wise and otherwise – you do it at least 100% if not 110%. She is the best person I know on the planet. The best get-to of my life…getting to be Dianne’s husband.

Folks, you better read this fast because Dianne will likely pull it off FB when she sees it.