CLEOEJACKSONIII.COM
  • My Home Page
  • My Life and Ministry
  • My Ongoing Thoughts
  • My Favorite Bible Verses
  • My Favorite Stories
  • My Favorite Jokes
  • My Favorite Quotations
  • My Favorite Web Links
  • My Contact Info
"Helping Others Communicate"

ALL IN THE FAMILY

5/29/2015

 
My son is getting married to a lovely young lady tomorrow.  This makes the third and final of our three children to find and wed their life’s mate.  First my daughter met and married a wonderful young man.  Then my youngest son married his beautiful high school sweetheart.  And now, our middle child will tie the proverbial knot as well.

Each time one of my children has wed, I have had a flood of memories about my own courtship and marriage more than three decades ago.  Needless to say, as a young would be minister, I had little to offer in the way of earthly prospects for my future wife.

Recently, a couple happily married for more than sixty years gave me a book of humor titled Healing Through Humor by Charles and Frances Hunter.   It contained the following story – one that hit a little too close to home for me as a preacher…

AND THE GOOD NEWS

A young woman brought her fiancé home to meet her parents. After dinner, her mother told her father to find out about the young man.

The father invited the fiancée to his study for a talk. "So what are your plans?" the father asked the young man.

"I am a Biblical scholar," he replies.

"A Biblical scholar. Hmmm," the father said. "Admirable, but what will you do to provide a nice house for my daughter to live in?"

"I will study," the young man replies, "and God will provide for us."

"And how will you buy her a beautiful engagement ring, such as she deserves?" asked the father.

"I will concentrate on my studies," the young man replies, "God will provide for us."

"And children?" asked the father. "How will you support children?"

"Don't worry, sir, God will provide," replies the fiancé.

The conversation proceeded like this, and each time the father questioned, the young idealist insists that God will provide.

Later, the mother asked, "How did it go, Honey?" The father answered, "He has no job and no plans, and he thinks I'm God."


Needless to say, I am extremely grateful that my own in-laws were willing to take a chance on me, unpromising as I was, way back in 1983.  No doubt in large part because of that, my wife and I now have not only thirty-two years of a wonderful marriage to celebrate, but also three incredible children along with their respective spouses.  I pray I never disappoint my gracious in-laws.

And I am also glad that my son’s new in-laws appear to be willing to take a similar chance on him.  Just as I pray I never disappoint my own in-laws, I also pray that he never disappoint his either. 

SOURCE:  Charles and Frances Hunter, Healing through Humor (Lake Mary, Florida:  Creation House Press, 2003), pp.  190-20.

This familiar joke is also available online, among numerous places, at: 
http://jokesdigest.com/cgi-bin/5209/jokepage1.cgi?jid=5791.

NOTE:  In an added note of irony, the television show titled "All in the Family" was popular at the time I was courting and marrying my precious wife.  In the natural give and take that occurred between my wife's family and me, we embodied the concept of "life imitating art". 

As an only child, my wife filled the role of Gloria.  Her father, a hard-working man with traditional values, represented the character of Archie; her mother as a devoted wife and mother that of Edith.  That left me, as an eternal student with a chronically empty stomach  and  little prospects for gainful employment, in the role of Mike - or as I was affectionately referred to by Vickie's uncle:  "Meathead".

Comments are closed.

    Cleo E. Jackson, III

    Occasionally I will add
    a few thoughts to my blog. If you find them inspirational, I will be
    honored.

    Archives

    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011
    December 2010
    November 2010
    October 2010
    September 2010
    August 2010
    July 2010
    June 2010
    May 2010
    March 2010
    February 2010

    Categories

    All