Today is my 20th wedding anniversary. 20 years ago today, at Lake Catherine State Park, a scared, much skinnier 19 year old kid stood in the every increasing heat of that July morning waiting on his one true love to get to the alter. She was late in getting there but that is to be expected and after 20 years I can attest, IT CAN BE EXPECTED! ;-) Finally she got to top of the "aisle". It wasn't really an aisle, it was the center aisle of the amphitheater. I looked up at that pretty little 21 year old bride and all my fear melted away. When she got to the altar, she was trembling so bad! I took her hand and just stroked it the whole time we stood their saying our vows. It was a very good day. 19 and 20 is too young for most everyone to get married but I can say that or me, it was the best thing that I could have done.
The day we got married, we had less than $20.00 in the bank. Our honeymoon was going to consist of driving back to the apartment. But, folks started slipping us money. Ten dollars here, twenty dollars there. By the time the day was over, we had $265.00 to go on our honeymoon. So we hopped in the car and drove to Eureka Springs! We hit town at 7:20 pm, on a Saturday night, in a tourist town, with NO reservations. There wasn't a room to be had at hardly any price. After trying our best to get a hotel room, we had given up and resigned ourselves to driving to Rogers, Arkansas to get our "honeymoon suite". Suddenly, two miles outside of town, up on top of a small mountain was the "Blue Chalet Inn Motel". It was as "grand" as it sounds! I flew in gravel flying ans asked if there was a room. The manager said, "yes but I need to show it to you." I asked how much it was and he said "$35.00" I said "I'll take it!" He said, "NO! I need to show it to you." Reluctantly I said ok, and followed the guy towards the rooms. We veered right. I was confused. We got to the side of the building and started going down stairs to the basement. I was even more confused. We got to a ratty old door, with a padlock on it. He opened it, we stepped into the laundry room. We walked to another ratty door. It had a padlock on it. He opened it. We walked into a basement "room", where the ceiling was about 3 inches shorter in height than I was. There was a single bed, yeah I said a single. A TV in the corner older than both of us and an OLD window unit at ceiling level to cool the room. What did I do? I said "we'll take it!!!" Thus began our "honeymoon". She should have known then to run for the exits but to her credit she stuck with me. She's been doing that faithfully for 20 years now.
In our 20 years of marriage, we've lived in three states and a total of 12 houses and apartments. We've amassed a staggering net worth of .......well lets just say it isn't staggering! We've served five different churches as pastor, which considering the fact I wasn't even a Christian when she married me, came as a shock to lots of people! Through it all, I had God's favor, she has been the consummate pastor's wife! I could not have asked for a better partner in the ministry. She is a dedicated, faithful, hard working, and attentive servant of our Lord. She is a better Christian than i am, and a better "minister" than me too. God doubly blessed me when He gave her to me as a partner in this journey of ministry. Truth is, without the faithfulness and love of my wife, I NEVER would have come to Christ. I owe much of my salvation to how God used her to bring me to faith in Christ.
We've been blessed with four children. That's right, FOUR children. We have the two all of you know and two more that we lost along the way, lost at least for now. We know will be reunited with them in eternity. We can't wait to meet our children in heaven. We can't imagine our life here without the two God has given us to raise. Zachary is our first born. We were told we'd likely never have children. Carrie had three dreams, early on in her pregnancy. In those dreams we had a blonde haired, blue eyed, baby boy named Zachary Aaron Mauldin. Zachary means "the Lord hath remembered". He sure remembered us! :-) Zachary has been our joy and our happiness.
If you look up the definition of "strong willed child", you will find his picture! From the day he was born, he has shown his brilliance, his curiosity, his inquisitive nature, his STRONG WILL, his affection, his love, and his zest for life! He was hyper, smart, independent, funny, and have I mentioned strong willed? He has been all of those things and more.
We always wanted a big family but God had a different plan for us. When Zachary was about three, we lost our 2nd child to miscarriage. It was the single most devastating thing we have endured. It was even harder on Carrie. We never knew how much it had effected Zachary until we noticed that YEARS later he would talk about and ask about the sibling he never new. Ten more years would go by without a child. We never fully understood why but we just accepted that Zachary would be our only child. BOY WERE WE WRONG!
In 2007, somewhere just after our 16th anniversary God pulled a fast one on us. We found out that in our late 30's, We'd be having another baby!!! I'd gotten so very sick by then but we couldn't have been happier! I don't know if there could have been much of a WORSE time to have a baby but we were having one nonetheless! Carrie said the pregnancy was SO different than the one with Zachary she was CONVINCED we were having a girl!!! For the first couple of months, she called the baby, "Baby Grace". Grace turned out to be not Grace. Ultrasound once again showed with no room for doubt that Grace would be a boy. We never much considered many other names other than Samuel. His story of being the answer to years of prayer made it the only name that was "right". Samuel means "the Lord Heard". He heard our prayers from many years before He showed, he is always faithful.
Samuel Everett Mauldin, AKA "The Texas Tornado" entered this world April 16, 2008. Our lives haven't been the same since! That boy is so much like his brother some times but in many ways he is all his own. He is smart, inquisitive, full of life and energy but not really hyper. Now his temper on the other hand is a whole new ball game! That separates he and his brother so much! This child can throw down with the best of them. He is so rotten, so bad, but so perfect. He has brought the three of us so much joy. He completed this family like nothing else could. He worships his brother and I think his brother, or "Bubba" fees much the same. Seeing the two of them together brings me more joy than any other thing this earth could give me. He completed this family.
About a year after Samuel was born, we conceived our fourth child. We weren't really trying but we weren't really trying not to. We were thrilled and excited but it was not to be. God chose to take this fourth child and as much as it hurt us, we knew we would someday be reunited with this child as well. Eternity will be all the sweeter with all FOUR of our children beside us. God is good, all the time.
The story of our 20 years wouldn't be complete without telling the story of my illness. 12 years into our marriage I got sick. It was mild and not too bad at first. We had no idea what was wrong and no idea of the journey that lay before us. Five years later and and five years of terrible sickness later, I finally got a diagnosis. Lyme Disease. That was not the end of the journey but the beginning. I have gotten far sicker than I ever could have imagined. I even lost two years of ministry. I lost the ability to walk at one point. When Samuel was four months old, I couldn't even hold him, feed myself, dress myself. I could not even care for myself in any way. What did my wife do, she stood by me. She cared for me, nursed me, pushed me to fight when all I wanted to do was give up. She fulfilled her vows (okay, maybe not the obey part!) but she seriously took to heart the vow that says "in sickness and in health". My illness has without a doubt taken its toll on us, our marriage, and our family but my wife never wavered. She has been the rock, the glue, the steadying hand, and the heart that has kept this family together.
Time doesn't allow me to tell all the tales that covers 20 years of marriage. We've buried my grandmother, her Dad, my grandfather, my Aunt Jimmie, her Aunt Suzie, and countless other friends and Saints. We've seen a stroke take her mother, not her life but her life as she new it. We've baptized, married, served, and walked beside some of the sweetest Saints any other ministry couple could have ever served. Our 20 years have not always been easy but they have been full. God has shown through all of this His unfailing love and faithfulness.
Though time has given her auburn hair a few more "highlights", 20 years has made us both a tad bit "fluffier" than when we walked the aisle, she is as beautiful to me today than the day we said "I do." She has the most beautiful smile, the sweetest and most tender of hearts, a deep love for others, a servant's heart, she is my everything. I cold not imagine my life without her. I couldn't imagine life with anyone else. She is my wife, my very best friend, my companion, my buddy, and the love of my life. Carrie Leigh Mauldin is my wife of 20 years and I wouldn't have it any other way. I love you beautiful!
Always and forever.
Micah AKA "Her Sweat Pe!" (Don't ask, long story!) ;-)
