Beautiful Is She Who Graces My Home...

OK, I confess. She did it. Yes my wife married an older man. Before you jump to any shaky conclusions, allow me to state that she married me and yes, I am older than she is. Ten years older, to be exact.

Mardell and I married in 1963 and moved into the married apartments at Lamar University in Beaumont. Mardell was in school at Lamar and I was working in my dad’s accounting firm. That first year in the Lamar apartments was exciting. There never was a dull moment living in the same building with 100 other couples. Our one-room apartment was on the first floor which was convenient. Only problem was that we had our very own peeping Tom. We reported the guy on several occasions only to be told, “Aw that’s just ‘Jake,’ and he is harmless. Don’t worry about him.”

Soon we moved over to Cheek Street where we rented a bedroom from P.D. and Joyce Brown. They lived in a large two-story house. That was interesting in that all four of us shared the same bathroom.

In 1965, we bought a two-bedroom house at 1065 Harriot Street in South Park about one block from Daniel’s Bakery. Talk about sweet smelling savor. We didn’t have to worry about odors sifting over from Magnolia Refinery as the bakery provided plenty of aromas with their doughnuts, cakes and pies.

One day a book salesman knocked and Mardell answered the door. The man asked, “Is your mother here?” Mardell was quick to reply, “No, my mother lives in Italy.” Then the bungling saleman asked, “Well, then is the lady of the house in?” Again Mardell explained, “I am the lady of the house.”

You see, when we married I was 27 and Mardell was 18. She looked every bit of 15. Several times this caused a bit of confusion if not embarrassment.

Why am I sharing all of this with you? Well, Mardell just had a birthday and I was thinking of her and…well, here you have it.

In 1971, Mardell and I decided to enter into church ministry full time and so we moved to Lovington, New Mexico. For several years we served churches in eastern New Mexico and west Texas.

Finally in 1983, we moved back to Beaumont where I served as Youth and Family Minister with the Ridgewood Church of Christ. Mardell taught first grade and later she served as elementary principal of Christian Schools of Beaumont.

In 1994, we moved to Houston. Mardell was called there to serve as principal of Westbury Christian Elementary School. I became a Family Service Counselor with a large funeral home company.

What I am trying to convey, while realizing that 45 years of happy married life is difficult at best to condense into a 600 word column, is that I am so blessed to have Mardell as my wife. She has been by my side and supported me totally in every way.

Proverbs 31, beginning with verse 10 in the Old Testament of the Bible reads, “A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies.” Later in that same chapter verse 28 reads, “Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her…” That Proverb so describes Mardell.

And truly I concur with the analogy stated in the New Testament in Ephesians 5:25 “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her…”

I will do anything for Mardell and I know that she, as she has proved continuously for 45 years, will do anything for me.

It’s called love.

Happy birthday, my Love.

Winston --

Winston Hamby
The Beaumont Enterprise
May 15, 2009