Page 58 - Senior Link Magazine Spring 2023 - Online Magazine

at the end of med school, I cannot describe the pain that came
Johnny ran the numbers and with that news. Even 23 years later, I
reported that we were $5000 get a little faint writing about it. Why
short for the year. It might as is this part of our “love story”? It is
well have been a million. We because God drew us near to Him in
had exhausted every grant, ways I never dreamed of, and in doing
scholarship, work effort, and so, He drew us nearer to each other. All
anything else we could think the busyness seemed so trivial. Time
of. We just prayed. Two days seems so precious now. We chose to
later, the financial aid office cling to God as a family, and it has
gave Johnny a check consisting made us even closer than we were. We
of the leftover scholarship never leave each other without saying
money. It was exactly $5000. “love you,” and we don’t go long
Johnny cried, the ladies in the without communicating. I loved the
office cried, and I cried. I was man I married, but I love the man I am
quickly on my knees thanking married to now even more.
the One who loves us most.
Today, our girls have married three
Fast forward a few years. wonderful men. They have given us
Johnny had a successful Pain seven wonderful grandchildren. Skylar
Management practice. He was and Brady are Jocelyn and
busy working long hours. I taught Bible and coached Dustin’s. Gunner belongs to Krista and Jared,
at Lubbock Christian Junior High. I loved having four and Tabitha and Alfred have Addie, Joshua, AnnaBelle,
young women of my own, and a houseful of giggles is and Noah. Joy comes in the morning! I love watching
still one of my favorite things on earth. Johnny loved PaPa turn silly when he sees those babies. I love being
spending time on the basketball court with his girls. MaMa. Our children have each had to grow and learn
Basketball consumed the girls’ extracurricular time and on their own; Johnny and I have enjoyed watching
many of our evenings and weekends. I had started at them—and it has surely increased our prayer life! We
LCJH when the twins were there, but now Jocelyn and are still the kids’ and grandkids’ #1 fans.
Krista were seniors. Tabitha was a junior, and Astyn
was an 8th grader, so I stopped coaching to spend more We are blessed to have weathered the storms and
time with them. Johnny did a great job of working his embraced the blessings of over 44 years of marriage.
schedule around his family. Life was so very busy. We We are blessed to still have my mom and dad, Johnny’s
all met each other coming and going, but we loved each mom, and his precious stepmom as part of our lives. We
other very much. are watching our older grandchildren enter adulthood,
while we continue to attend ballgames and school
On April 4, 1999, my youngest turned 14. Four weeks programs and enjoy lots of hugs. Watching them all
later, she went on a weekend retreat with her youth walk with the Lord is the greatest fruit of our labor.
group. That weekend was so crazy. Tabitha was in a Retirement has its own challenges, but there’s no one I
basketball tournament, and Joc and Kris were busy would rather be with every day for the rest of my life
doing senior stuff. That morning, as I pulled into the than my sweet husband.
garage after church and a ballgame, Johnny pulled in
beside me and said frantically, “Where have you been? “Well now that I’m old and I’m a’ready to go, I get to thinkin’
There’s been a bus accident, and they want us to come to what happened a long time ago. Had a lot of kids, a lot of
the church.” trouble, and pain, But then, whoops, oh lordy, well I’d do it
all again … Because … she had kisses sweeter than wine.”
That afternoon, we were told that we would not see our (“Kisses Sweeter Than Wine” Jimmie Rodgers 1958)
precious Astyn again, this side of Heaven.

58 Lubbock Senior Link