My Valentine

Proposal night on sailboat in Ventura Harbour

Twenty four years ago I met my bride.  It was one of those God coincidences!  I was in Sacramento raising a support team to become a missionary.  I had a friend and supporter who sent me a check for my birthday in January.  He told me to take someone special to dinner.

Denise was a senior in college at Sacramento State.  I met her at a party with some other students who were part of Campus Crusade.  I needed a ride home and my buddy, Jay, arranged for Denise to give me the ride.  Can you say “jackpot?!”  Before I got out of the car, I told her the story of the gift and asked if she would like to do dinner.  She offered a quick yes.

I still remember the restaurant, The Spaghetti Factory.  Mizithra cheese pasta and spumoni ice cream.  But I only had my eyes partially upon the food.

We would enjoy a number of months of picnics in the park, walks, and more meals together.  Finally, I “shipped off” and we maintained a long-term relationship.  I would propose to her on my birthday one year later in January 1988. We married in May that same year.  No long engagements for us!

Denise has been an incredible wife and remarkable person.  She has been a constant at my side through thick and thin.  She is one the most steady and consistent people I know.  I love this about her.

She is a gorgeous person inside and out.  God calls women to adorn themselves with “the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight” (I Peter 3:4).  Denise has this in spades.

She remains my God-given valentine.