This Friday, May 24, Jeanne and I will celebrate our 55th wedding anniversary. We had a small wedding, officiated by Rev. Dennis Bergeron at St. Hubert Church in Garyville.
On the way to our honeymoon, Jeanne told me that as she and her dad were being driven to the church, he said to her, “Wouldn’t it be nice if Harold didn’t show up?” If that sounds like a joke, believe me, it wasn’t. He meant it.  
After 55 years, four children, 15 grandchildren, eight great-grandchildren (expecting our ninth) and a selfish husband, Jeanne has handled every situation as the godly woman she’s always been. Even during my heavy drinking years, and having hurt her a lot, she never waivered from her role as a submissive wife or neglected her daily role as a God-fearing mother. The Bible says that when you find a wife, you’ve found a good thing. God has blessed me with one of the best.
Over the years, God has healed our marriage, and Jeanne has never condemned me or tried to put me on a guilt trip.  
I’ll never forget when I was sober 19 years and things were going smoothly, I finally asked her one night if she could ever find it in her heart to forgive me for everything I had put her through. She just started crying uncontrollably, and after she regained her composure said, “I forgave you so long ago I forgot about it, but I never thought I’d live long enough for you to ask.” That only proves how I even took her forgiving me for granted.  
Recently, while reading the Bible, I was reminded that God’s Word in I Peter, chapter 3, verses 1-5, describes Jeanne during our 55 years together. It reads: “Wives, fit in with your husbands’ plans; for then if they refuse to listen when you talk to them about the Lord, they will be won by your respectful, pure behavior. Your godly lives will speak to them better than any words. Don’t be concerned about the outward beauty that depends on jewelry, or beautiful clothes, or hair arrangement. Be beautiful inside, in your hearts, with the lasting charm of a gentle and quiet spirit which is so precious to God. That kind of deep beauty was seen in the saintly women of old, who trusted God and fitted in with their husbands’ plans.
Yes, I’ve been blessed abundantly! I’m just so grateful that I’ve lived long enough to appreciate my years with Jeanne.
If you have any questions or comments, please write to Get High on Life, P.O. Drawer U, Reserve, LA 70084, call 985-652-8477, or email hkeller@comcast.net.