Everyone has a story to tell, whether they know or not. I met a couple the other night, however, that certainly had stories to tell. I was invited by a friend, Jackie, who had met the couple, Dick and Cathy, at the local Y. Dick and Cathy had invited Jackie out to dinner and told her to bring a friend if she liked. Jackie asked and I said, "Sure - why not?" Apparently the couple wanted to pick the brain of some college students as they were interested in getting involved in college ministry here in the local area.
We arrive at their house, which was a modest cabin on the edge of a 20-acre lake, tucked back in the woods. Jackie had mentioned that they were an older couple and so I had in my mind maybe people in their 50s or 60s. We knock on the door and Dick opens the door and it was like looking at white-haired version of Dick Clark. Dick had bright eyes and an eager smile. Then up walked Cathy, looking just as cheery. But they certainly were not in their 50s or 60s. Cathy, in fact, is 83 and Dick is 81! But here's the crazy fun part of their story.
They had each been married previously - Cathy for 53 years and Dick for 48 years. They had both lost their spouses 8-10 years ago. Dick and Cathy met while in Sunday School at a local church and one day they decided to go hiking on some local trails. Cathy, unfortunately, took a tumble off one of the ledges and fell nearly 15 feet and got a concussion. Remember, at this point, Dick and Cathy barely knew each other. Well, the doctor said Cathy was either going to have to stay in the hospital for 4 days to monitor her concussion or they could release her but somebody would have to stay with her for those 4 days. Dick was the lucky volunteer. Dick gets a big smile on his face at this point and says, "I fell in love with her during those 4 days." They got married shortly after and have been married for 7 years now!
They went on to tell all sorts of stories - Cathy's travels down Route 66, Dick's time in the military, and both spoke of their time as avocado growers in California. Coicidentally enough, Dick had started Avocado Grower magazine, a magazine to which Cathy subscribed and read frequently - but neither knew each other at this point, even though they had lived only miles apart, each on their own avocado farms in southern California!
They spoke also of their love for international students and their desire to minister to them and share the love of Christ with them. But what I remember most of all was what Dick said as Jackie and I were walking out the door after a delightful dinner and conversation with them. He was speaking of their desire to plunge into the ministry and to really devote themselves to the Lord, "Well, Cathy and I only have a short amount of time left and we want to make the most of it." When I'm 83 years old I want to be able to tell the kind of stories they tell and live with the attitude that they do - that there's always still time to make a difference for Christ.
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