On A Journey

I joined the military in 1950. After training, I was sent to France with the first contingent of NATO. Shortly after I

arrived, I went into town to buy some postcards. I went into this little shop. The lady there could not speak English nor

could I speak French. I pointed at the postcards and she nodded.

She wrote down the amount that the cards I choose would cost and I paid her. Later at the barracks, I looked at the slip and the change she gave me. I thought she gave me back more money than she should have.

I went back the next day and showed her the paper and money and indicated it didn't match. She then printed the amount a little different and it was correct. The misunderstanding took place because of the way they print their numbers

Three months later the chaplain invited the small church to a picnic we were having. As I was serving the

hotdogs, who walks up but the lady who had sold me the postcards.

About five minutes later, I turned the tongs over to someone else and joined her. By this time she could speak some English and I could speak a little French.

Three years later I married her. It was a hard decision for both of us as we had some big obstacles before both of us. She was 13 years older than I, and my parents thought two things.

1. She was robbing the cradle so to speak.

2. She was looking for a free trip to the states.

For her, it was leaving all of her relatives behind and moving 6,000 miles away with the possibility of never seeing them again. In other words, it just wouldn't work. She had talked with her pastor and I with the chaplain. They both told us if we put our trust in the Lord completely, ask for his guidance, and truly love each other, it will work.

Thanks to the Lord, we have just celebrated our 54th wedding anniversary.