How FJ Griffitts meets Carole. I wrote this story for our book Sunbreaks in Unending Storms. I retell it here for your enjoyment.
As Gomer Pyle used to say, “Surprise! Surprise! Surprise!” Exactly right, FJ thought. He saw Carole walking across the lawn in front of the campus dorm, hurrying to the office to sign out for her date with an Air Force man she would soon meet—! He saw that beautiful young college student and considered her the most alluring woman the good Lord ever made. She had shoulder-length hair like silky golden sunlight. What an intriguing vision, he concluded. A prayer flitted through his mind: “Lord, I think marrying her would be absolutely wonderful. Could this possibly be the woman of my dreams? Is this love at first sight?”
Meeting and Dating
My Air Force roommate and his fiancée arranged the first date for Carole and me in September 1965. We double-dated, enjoying a movie. That intriguing evening began a lifelong journey, sharing hopes and dreams of our deepest, most precious longings. She became the person of my most intense interest.
More evenings and times together formed a bond of love that grew into a relationship of permanent commitment. After just two months of getting to know each other, we quickly became inseparable. Soon, I asked Carole to marry me; this lovely and very intelligent woman, sporting a giant smile, honored me with a resounding yes.
We talked of varying subjects like family, faith, and our future as husband and wife during these times. My world became incomplete when she was on campus for class, and I was on duty with the Air Force. Our commitment’s strength was soon tested as the Air Force sent me on a temporary duty assignment five thousand miles away. For six months, we flooded the mail with love letters. I looked forward to those perfume-scented letters from Carole because they reminded me even more of her. Our time apart seemed to last forever, but finally the months of separation ended. After I returned to the good old USA, we agreed on a wedding date of July 16, 1966. We planned for my father, the Reverend James M. Griffitts Sr., to preside over our ceremony. Remembering those days of our delightful romance produces a desire for an ability to relive that part of life.
Getting Married
Oh! Happy days were here at last as our day to marry drew near! The Air Force had approved my leave time. I began the four-hundred-mile drive from Mather Air Force Base, near Sacramento, California, to Carole’s home in Carson, California, where the ceremony would occur.
I speculated the miles seemed to have had road lengthener applied in massive quantity, many times over, for they passed so slowly. Why did the hands on my watch never appear to move? What did that blinking red light on that black and white vehicle in my rearview mirror mean? I thought I remembered hearing such a thing indicated a person should pull to the roadside and see if that driver needed assistance. So, I did, but the man said, “You were really hauling the mail back there.” In nice, formal handwriting, he offered me an invitation to appear in court or pay a donation to California.
For the rest of the trip, the road appeared even longer, with the miles passing still slower. When I got to Carson, I discovered this country boy wasn’t a proficient city navigator. I called Carole from somewhere around a waterfront to get clearer directions to her house. Finally, I arrived at her home, and we were at long last united again.
July 16, our long-awaited wedding day, arrived—the beginning of our life together. We received many presents, but the best gift has been what we vowed before God: “For better or for worse.” To put this another way, “No matter what may come, I promise before the Lord my God to stay with you. I will be a spiritual support as well as a material provider to the best of my ability. I will do this till death separates us.” We didn’t know how severely these vows would be tested in the coming years.
In Closing
Pick up a copy of our book and read more of my story in chapter 1 as I speak of our life before Carole’s invisible disabilities began.
© FJ and Carole Griffitts, Excerpt from chapter 1, Sunbreaks in Unending Storms.
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