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Monday, May 24, Jeanne and I celebrated our wedding anniversary.  Sixty-three years ago, in a little wooden church in Garyville, Louisiana, with Father Dennis Bergeron officiating, we took our wedding vows.  Jeanne later told me that as she rode to church with her dad, he said, “Wouldn’t it be nice if Harold didn’t show up!”  If you knew Mr. Raoul Boe, you would have known that he wasn’t joking.

 

The Bible says that when a man finds a wife, he’s found a good thing.  God knew what I needed and He sent me the best.

 

I know now when Proverbs 31 was written, it was describing my wife.  It reads, “Who can find a virtuous wife?  For her worth is far above rubies.  The heart of her husband safely trusts her.  She does him good and not evil.  Strength and honor are her clothing.  She opens her mouth with wisdom and her tongue is the law of kindness.  Her children rise up and call her blessed.”

 

Only a godly woman like Jeanne could have put up with me.  It is only by the grace of God and a forgiving wife that we were able to celebrate another anniversary.  We’ve had some long, rough days during those years, but with time and God’s help, the wounds have been healed.

 

Today, because of a virtuous woman, I am able to be thankful for all of my blessings.  Our marriage produced four children, 15 grandchildren, 20 great-grandchildren, and we’re expecting another one in June.

 

Proverbs 12:4 reads, “An excellent wife is the crown of her husband.”  I’ve been crowned with the best.  I’m sure, at times, Jeanne would have liked to crown me with something else, but being who she is, she resisted the temptation.

 

Over the years, God has blessed 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 would 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.

 

Yes, I’ve been blessed abundantly!  I’m just so grateful that I’ve lived long enough to appreciate my years with Jeanne.

 

Jeanne, thanks for standing in the gap for me when I wasn’t the godly man I was created to be.

 

If you have any questions or comments, please write to Harold Keller at Get High on Life, P.O. Drawer U, Reserve, LA 70084 or call (985) 652-8477.