Our love story

It all began October 23rd, 1993. Chili's restaurant. Sleepless in Seattle. Brandon Twin Theatre. Many nights thereafter in deep conversation until early morning hours.

I was in the middle of health problems and was due to have a laperoscopy to find out what the troubles were. After my surgery,"Mr. Cartwright" would come to read Scripture and pray with me each night and became a true friend to me during these uneasy days in my life. But the night he brought me Barney (yes, the big, purple dinosaur) holding one, single red rose I was swept off of my feet. I knew he was THE ONE. He had other ideas. I remained his "sweet, sister in the Lord", one of those phrases that I believe kept himself at arms length from entering a more serious relationship. But I eventually broke through...

May 14th he popped the question and November 26th, 1994, we were married in an outdoor wedding in Plant City, Florida.

I love this man for:
~loving God with all his heart, soul, mind, and strength.
~loving and putting up with me.
~being a wonderful husband and father.
~cherishing me in a kind, gentle way.
~being willing to adopt 4 children that are of a different race; this takes someone special.
~working hard every day of his life(in the Florida heat) so that I can stay home and do the job God has given me, namely, being a manager of our home, mother and teacher to our children.
~being wise in financial decisions.
~fishing for fish as well as men.
~showing himself to be transparent.
~faithfulness to our marriage vows.
~serving the body of Christ.
~never, ever raising his voice at me...although I have gotten "the look".
~patiently enduring my lack of patience.
~praying for my spiritual growth.
~putting God above all else in his life.
~selflessly loving me as Christ loves the church.

My beloved,
I am honored to be your wife, lover and best friend. I know Christ set us on the path to meet each other and to be forever together until He comes back. I promise you all I promised you on that day 15 years ago.

I, "Mrs. Cartwright", by the grace and enablement of our triune God, do pledge to you, "Mr. Cartwright", my sustained efforts in assisting you to protect and to nurture our sacred, one-flesh union. With joyful anticipation, I look forward to the building of our new life together on Christ's foundation. My "Mr. Cartwright", I promise to love you and to submit to your divinely ordained leadership in our home. I consecrate to you my fidelity and tender care as long as we both shall live. My priority on earth shall always be this precious home established by God. No matter what He, according to His sovereign plan, may bring into our lives as one in Him, I dedicate myself to being a godly wife at all times for your good and God's glory. May our gracious God be pleased to fulfill, through this fragile but dependent disciple of His, my covenant commitments to you and my heart's desire for our new life as one. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen!

I love you with all my heart....more now than ever!