“Happy birthday” to Rebekah; I am blessed to be saying it for the 44th time! If anyone should have a day filled with joy, peace, rest, and blessings, then it is my amazing wife. Now if we could only get together with those beautiful grandchildren…

I have a great story from that first “Happy Birthday,” back in 1977:

Rebekah and I had been dating five months, and I was in England for part of the summer. I sent a birthday card, but the mail being what it is the greeting failed to arrive on time.

Meanwhile, my future father-in-law was concerned. By this time Bob Alexander actually liked me (which is a whole other story..), and because of this he was unhappy about a young man who was – unsuccessfully – vying for Rebekah’s attention. Rick waged a summer-long campaign culminating with a dozen beautiful red roses sent to the…