How I Met Judy, My Wife

In my sophomore year at college, I was visiting with a lady who worked in the Admin Bldg. She asked me, "Don't you ever date?" I replied, "Nope. Study is the big thing for me right now." She asked, "Are you going to ever get married?" I replied flippantly, "Sure! I'll meet her in my Junior year and marry her in my Senior year."

At the beginning of my Junior year, I said to my roommate, "Let's go over to one of the girls' dorms and watch the new crop come in." So we went to one of the dorms, sat down in the lobby, and began to watch. With every new girl who came in, I would teasingly say, "What's your name and where are you from (poor English)?" She would answer, and I would say, "I'll put you on the list and let you know in about 2 weeks."

This went on for quite a while. Then a girl with the most beautiful brown cow eyes came in. Wow! Those eyes you could swim in. I made my spiel, she answered shyly, "I'm Judy Vernon and I'm from Lebanon, MO.", and I threw the list away. I fell in love with her instantly and knew that I was going to marry her, which I did in my Senior year.

One humorous side note to the story. Judy and her family were returning from a vacation in Big Bend, TX. Her family dropped her off at the dorm on their way home to Lebanon, MO., intending to drop the luggage off and come back to see her into her dorm. The last thing her dad said to her was, "Judy, remember you're here to study, not meet boys." She walked through the dorm door, and I was the first person she met.

I have loved her for almost 43 years (March 28), and I have never looked at another person, nor ever wondered about my decision. Other that trusting in Jesus, it is the only decision I ever made that I am totally sure about.

My 6th Christmas

I was thinking this morning, as I awoke, of the Christmas when I was 6 years old. We lived in South Oak Cliff on Ewing St. in Dallas. It was a rental house (my parents did not own a house for some years to come). A man at our church had 3 bikes that were all mangled - at least one in a traffic accident. He gave them to my dad, and my dad worked in the basement of my grandmother's house (just two doors down the street) to make two complete bicycles out of three. He did it, too; and by Christmastime. I don't remember any other gift that Christmas, but I cannot forget the bike. I got one (blue) and Weldon got the other (red) - this was long before James was born.

Here's the thing about the bikes. They were both 26-inches. The only way I could get on was to stand on the porch with the bike beside it.  I could barely reach the pedal with my toe when it was at the bottom of the cycle. Getting off was a wonder, too, if I wasn't near the porch. I don't ever remember falling, but then I tend to forget negative things anyway. We had those bikes for many years, until Junior High School when we got 10-speed bikes that were brand new. I have a picture of the old bike somewhere. When you look at it, you wonder how I ever managed to ride it.

But what I remember most about that bike and that Christmas is my dad. Probably in the poverty camp, not college-educated (not even a high school diploma), but he was very gifted with his hands, his head and his heart. He was an elder in his church until he passed away because he was so wise. He didn't ever say much, a word here or there. He was rough on the outside, but he loved his boys and his wife with immeasurable love.

To this day, I never face a problem of any kind or in any place, that I don't find myself thinking, "What would my dad do? What would he say? How would he react? What tool would he use?"

Excuse me, I'm going to go find that picture......

Great Help for Marketing Books

I finally finished writing my first book, Victory Ground. What a chore, but what a fabulous feeling also. I chose to self-publish through CreateSpace. My wife, the graphics artist, did all this step. What a great help she was, too. Now the big question: how to market my book? I am very new at all this, and the questions inside the big question are many, to say the least.

So Judy came across an ebook (I would say a treasure!) available through Kindle that has become my new Bible when it comes to marketing. It is Shelley Hitz's book, Marketing Your Book on Amazon. Every chapter is packed with helpful ideas, some I am not ready to use just yet, but some that are immediately invaluable.

For instance, the Amazon website for my book is very long (two lines of type, at least). It makes it difficult to tell people, or to show it on FaceBook, for instance. Well, Shelley has a number of suggestions how to shorten the URL to something quite manageable. That was a great help to me.

And again, Judy is preparing the book as an ebook for those who like to read online. The problem: some of my friends want an autographed copy, even on an ebook. Shelley to the rescue again. She has a chapter called Digitally Autographing Your Kindle eBooks. Talk about timely! It is the perfect chapter.

So all in all, if you are thinking about self-publishing (and that is so easy nowadays), then you must get Shelley's ebook to help with your marketing. Go ahead and get it, you'll thank me later.

Judy and her sisters sing!

Judy and her sisters sing at her dad's 90th birthday celebration.

Christmas at the Gilmores

Our Christmas lights (inside and outside) are all up at the Gilmore house this year. I wish I could tell you they were all working. Ugh! This year, I purchased a little gizmo that helps to fix lights that aren’t working. It is quite miraculous in its simplicity, but works about 90% of the time. Better than without it, though! Anyway, I have a third of a strand of icicle lights not working, one out of four pillars wrapped in lighted garland not working, a couple of strands on our pre-lit Christmas tree not working, and one topiary covered with lights not working. After trying very hard to fix them, I confess I have lost the burden. (No Christmas pictures this year of the outside of our house - I could sneak one in from last year, if you insist.)

I am so glad that the wise men of yore did not have that problem when following the Star. Imagine their bewilderment in trying to find the Christ child. And what of the heavenly choir of angels, if some lost their glow, and the shepherds didn’t take them seriously.

I am thankful that the Savior of the world, the Light of the world, doesn’t have the problems I have had with my Christmas lights. His light is sure, steady, and dependable through all the ages that have come and are yet to come. The deeper the darkness, the brighter His light shines. And more importantly, His light shines brightly in me, and I hope, through me to others. Let your light so shine…

Every time I see those lights that aren’t working, I am reminded of the Light of Christ that is. I am so thankful for His light – and the reminder through my lights. In the lyrics of Michael W. Smith: Light of the world, You stepped down into darkness, Opened my eyes let me see…

So…Here I am to worship!

Our Fall Yards

God has so blessed us with a marvelous house in Muskogee. And God and Judy have created such peaceful and beautiful scenes for our eyes. Here are a couple pictures of part of our back yard. These we see every day as we eat on the back patio, either breakfast or supper. You are seeing the morning sun play across our beautiful crepe myrtle bushes.

And here are pictures of our front yard and flower beds. Judy has a wonderful green thumb. It is normal to see cars driving by our house very slowly, then turning around and coming back.

The Beauty of God

We are blessed of God where we live. We are just 3 blocks from one of the most beautiful parks ever. It also serves as a workout place. This is a man-made waterfall. From the top of the falls to the lowest part of the park there are 185 irregular sandstone steps. By the time we walk the three blocks, then go down the steps and back up, we have had a great workout. Year before last I dropped 25 pounds!

Besides the workout, we have the most wonderful scenery to view. There are all kinds of flowers: crepe myrtles, cannas, dogwoods, azaleas, redbuds, irises, verbinum, lilacs, privet hedges, roses, hybiscus, etc. Throughout the spring and summer and fall, the park changes over and over with different flowers blooming. The park workers are so good and diligent, and kind.

Here are more pictures of our great Honor Heights Park. (Notice the waterfall in the middle of the 6th and 7th picture below.)