Donna Sue and I are celebrating this week. Eighteen years ago, we married and moved to Bainbridge.

Before marrying me, Donna Sue had spent almost 25 years on the mission field with Campus Crusade for Christ. During those years, she worked and visited over thirty countries. It has been very interesting listening to her tell of her times in China, the Philippines, Africa, Iran, and many other countries. I didn’t know her then, but I am sure she was an indefatigable, a tireless worker for God.

After that season of her life, she became a United Methodist pastor and that’s how we met; at summer school at Emory University in Atlanta. It took a while, but I finally convinced her to enter a most unique mission field. That was becoming my wife. I’m fairly certain that she didn’t think too much before she said, “Yes.” There has never been a more difficult mission field than marriage. And, particularly, marriage to me.

Did you hear the comment the eight-time married Elizabeth Taylor said about marriage? She said, “Marriage is a great institution” and, brother, she ought to know! She also said, “I am a very committed wife. And I should be committed too-for being married so many times.”

I wonder if Donna Sue thinks she should be committed for marrying me. Probably thinks so at times. For the record, I don’t think I should be committed for marrying her. I should be awarded the “Most Blessed Man in the World.” As I say often, I surely married up.

We often tell each other, “I’m glad I’m married,” then we hesitate a little and finish the statement with a “To you!”

Sometimes I think of some of the reasons we have had a good and successful marriage. We have plenty of things in common. She loves me and so do I. I love me, too! That’s a joke.

We both like college football. She grew up in and graduated from Auburn University. I’m a Georgia Dawg. For 364 days in the year, we get along okay. Then, comes that one Saturday in November when we have to go our separate rooms. Thankfully we have two televisions and they’re in opposite sides of the house.

She’s better at accepting the losses than I am. I remember one game that was particularly galling. That means Georgia lost. Her mother happened to be with us during that weekend and she was surprised at my depressed attitude, simply because the Dawgs lost a game.

The next morning Emma Lou asked me, “Are you feeling better this morning?”

With as much sarcasm as I could muster I asked, “Did they change the score?”

Donna Sue is great at many things and I hesitate to list them. Some of them might be considered chauvinistic. For instance, no one can wash clothes better than Donna Sue. You have a stain, she can get it out!

She makes my coffee every morning and makes sure there is plenty of sugar and creamer to go with it. I would scrape the bottom of the sugar dish until the last grain is gone, but Donna Sue takes the time to fill it up.

My wife has the greenest thumb of anyone I know. I think it’s because she talks to her plants. Then, when the plants reward her with beautiful flowers, she arranges them as a professional florist. In fact, our house looks like a florist shop.

Yes, I married up. There are so many things to say about Donna Sue, but the greatest of all is that she is a woman of faith. She has to be. She married me!