Writings By Phil

Forty years ago, Jackie Jackson changed her last name to mine. In our wedding ceremony, we each held a burning candle and touched our flames to the wick of a third candle between us. When it caught fire, we blew out our individual candles to symbolize two becoming one. Our lives together have been a journey, sometimes on the mountaintops and sometimes in the valleys. She has put up with my melancholy demeanor, introverted temperament, and worse! Even now, after all these years, sometimes, she still laughs at my corny puns. A sense of humor helps!

On the day we got married, I stood 6 feet, 5 inches tall and weighed 165 pounds, soaking wet! A year later, I weighed 210 pounds. Aside from being a great cook, she enlarged more than my waist! My horizon, my vision, my goals were all altered by her love and presence in my life.

It is impossible to imagine the last four decades without her by my side. Jackie has encouraged me, especially though our 16 years together in the Bolivian jungles. It was hard living and working in hot, humid conditions with a difficult, and often, demanding group of people. How often, except for Jackie, I would have thrown my hands up and quit!

For the first year of our lives together, we worked with SUMMIT, the short-term mission program of New Tribes Mission. At noon, we would go back to our two-room apartment to eat lunch and listen to Paul Harvey News. He always had a segment highlighting couples that had been honeymooning together for 60, 70 or more years. We would joke that someday we would get featured on his news program. Sadly, Mr. Harvey up and died so that is not possible, now. However, it is still our goal to make 70 years together, even though we will both be 100 years old upon completion!

Jackie is my wife, mother of my children, grandmother to our six grandchildren, coworker, and though I don’t always act like it, my best friend! I look forward to growing old with her.

I love you Jackie, thanks for sticking with me! Have a great anniversary!