My lovely wife Carol

I was the last on at my parents house who was still unmarried, my two brothers and one sister had moved out and married some years ago

I was not good at “chatting up” my dad’s phrase, even went I plucked up the courage to go and talk to a young lady, it turned out she was already dating someone

So I continued as a bachelor living at home, even though I wanted to become happily married to somebody as pleasant and happy as my mum

At some point I had given up meeting up with someone who I would get married too, and then one evening I went to a local Salvation Army citadel

During the service I decide I would go and kneel at the mercy seat and offered my life to God to take control of

Shortly after the meeting a young lady Salvation army member came up to me to congratulate me on standing up and kneeling at the mercy seat

That lady was my future wife to be (Carol – although I didn’t know it yet) I remember thinking to myself, it was too late having a lady chatting me up and also thinking she was too young for me she was 19 at that time

However this young lady was not so easily put off, and asked me to go home with her for a cup of tea and meet her parents and sister

So it was I went back to this young ladies home, and then began what used to be called courting, although I had no thoughts of marriage at that time

Carol had different ideas, as she had practiced dressing up as a bribe in white using for many years her mom’s best net curtains

I just enjoyed the company of this vibrant young lady, and the fact I had not needed to chat her up

Sometime later Carol sent me a note saying she had something she needed to tell me, which turned out to be she suffered with epilepsy

I knew nothing about this condition so brushed the aside as not important, and we continued with plans to marry when she was 21

There was a break in our relationship due to I had a nervous break down, or so I was told later, although I remember it differently but that is another story

I am unsure how long after returning home from hospital, before I went to Carol’s home again only to find she was at the Salvation citadel, so I went up there only to find she had left to go home

As I had come this far I decide to go back the way I had come up and go back to her home, undeterred I headed back the way I had come

Only to see Carol running full speed towards me and promptly leap into my arms, which was trusting of her as I was not expecting to catch her in my arms

However I did, more out instinct then skill, and at that moment I knew I had accepted whatever the future had in store for us as a new couple

A few years later in 1982 we got married in a local church that had a long aisle so Carol could show off the wedding dress she had bought to its fullness

Even though the day was in June the weather change from sunny to wet and cloudy, and as we walked down the isle we heard thunder

On that day in spite of the weather all went well and we had 150 attend including family and friends