Thirty years ago today, I was floating in my parents’ pool built by the guy who would be my father-in-law
in a few short hours. I was soaking in 100 plus degrees of Arizona sunshine on my lily-white Irish skin.
The situation being that I was going to get married that evening and I didn’t want to blend in with the white
tuxedo that I would be wearing.
That night thirty years ago, I was going to make Rhonda Sue McCullough my lovely bride. We
started dating, off and on, four years earlier and first met about six years before that (you can read more about it here
if you’re interested). I know that a lot of people in our family, social and church circles all thought the wedding
was about two years overdue. I didn’t want to rush in to these kinds of things . . .
There were no wedding planners
to plan our wedding. However, you wouldn’t know it by the incredible job Rhonda did in pulling together
this special day. Nor were there all the incredibly “must have” stuff that seems to get poured
into weddings these days.
We had beautiful flowers that flanked the bridesmaids and groomsmen who had just marched down the church aisles
to Billy Joel’s “Just The Way You Are”. We stood in front of our pastor, Reverend Gerald
Johnson, as his lovely wife, Norma, sang Bette Midler’s “The Rose” (THE song for weddings in 1980).
We took communion before all of the guests and the Lord who has kept us together all these years before we made our vows.
Finally, Pastor Johnson pronounced
Rhonda and I “man and wife”. After thirty years, I’m not so sure about the “man”
title but I am infinitely sure about Rhonda’s title of “wife”. She has been with me through
thick and thin (in recent years, more of my thick waist-line than thin); through my mistakes and triumphs; through my emotional
highs and lows; right beside me during all the happenings in life that have come our way.
As connected and in sync as we
are, we’re also as different as night and day. She’s quite. I’m not.
She’s incredibly detail oriented. I’m not. She’s a little bit
country – I’m a lot a bit rock and roll. Opposites do attract and differences do complement
each other. For that I’m eternally thankful.
About the “little bit county”, I’m going to
chase a rabbit that’s an honest to goodness true story:
While Rhonda and I were dating, she was meeting me at my parents’
home where I lived at the time. As she was driving her ’76 Chevy bi-centennial
Nova to the house, she was listening to her favorite country music station in Phoenix (KNIX).
What I’m about to tell
you is the absolute truth, I kid you not. As she got to about a mile from our house, the radio station
cut to dead air, never to return to her radio again. Seriously. I somehow got the blame
(okay, I proudly took credit, attributing the event to my incredible powers of persuasion).
Back to my lovely wife.
Here we are, thirty years later,
and I’m so glad that we are. Rhonda is my best friend and closest confidante. She
is my entire world. To paraphrase the lyrics to The Rose, if love is a flower, then, Rhonda, you’re
it’s only seed.
Happy 30th Anniversary, Rhonda. I’m all set for at least another 30 years!
