For this very reason, you must make every effort to support your faith with goodness, and goodness with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with endurance, and endurance with godliness, and godliness with mutual affection, and mutual affection with love. 

2 Peter 1:5-7

It’s tough to squeeze an official date night into a Sunday. But, given the historic significance of February 4th in our story, Rebekah and I did everything we could to make the day count.

Scout Sunday at church was a good start (click here if you missed it – Lessons in Kindness, Courtesy, Reverence & Courage). Then we took a long stroll in the afternoon, remembering that walking together was one of our key dating activities during those first few months in 1977.

We used to walk the streets of DeLand, and around the neighborhoods east of Stetson University, looking at quaint little houses and imagining being grownups and building a life together. Sometimes we would pool our nickels and pennies to purchase one honeybun and a pint of milk at the convenience store across from the Baptist Church, then sit on the fire escape for our feast before walking back to the campus in the early morning hours.

But not this February 4th. This time we circled the churchyards at Howard Memorial Presbyterian and Calvary Episcopal, then on up to the Town Common and around. We reminisced some, and both agreed that it’s a lot better to come back to our own house rather than dropping Rebekah off at her dorm.

In the evening, after visiting a church member at the hospital over in Greenville, we found a pub with a good college vibe near the ECU campus. The only compromise as to authenticity was that we could never have afforded such a treat in 1977. But a honeybun and a pint of milk on the church steps was simply not going to do it.

So “two thumbs up” for Christy’s Euro Pub in Greenville. The fish-&-chips was delicious, our crab-spinach-artichoke dip divine, the craft beer superb, and the cheesecake scrumptious. And, because we were celebrating and I was feeling like spreading the good cheer, I also selected a unique menu item I haven’t seen before: “Round of PBR for the Kitchen.”

Late in the evening, when we drove back to Tarboro, we talked again about how good it is to be together, forty-seven years in, how much better than the uncertainties of a first date. And we parked outside a beautiful restored home in the historic district, we unlocked the door, we were greeted by the Golden Retriever everyone dreams of owning, we kissed… and I did not have to say goodnight, turn around and walk back to my dorm.

It’s all good. It’s all a celebration – DEREK