I believe in love at first sight.

In 1985, I saw a girl sitting in church. She was wearing a grey dress and sitting toward the back of the church. I was standing on the platform behind a microphone, ready to talk about my plans after high school graduation.

As I looked out over the crowd, I saw her. I had a love-at-first-sight moment. I knew we were destined to be together! My heart was leaping inside of me and I couldn’t concentrate on anything from that moment on. I wanted…needed to meet her.

As the attendees formed a line to come forward and congratulate us graduates, I anxiously waited for her to shake my hand. When it was her turn to shake my hand, I smiled and gave her my best “knock’em dead” look. She smiled sheepishly and went her way.

I tried to find her after the service ended. I was telling my friends about her and asked them to help me look for her. “She’s wearing a grey dress!”, I repeated over and over. Alas, I finally caught a glimpse of her getting into a white car.

Over the next year, I learned that her name was Clara, she lived in Mexico, and her mom, aunts, and grandmother were old friends of our my mother’s family from the 1950s/60s. One of Clara’s aunts was married to my uncle! Wouldn’t you know it? We were kissing cousins!    Haaaahhaaaahaaaa…..!!!

Anyway, I saw her a couple of more times in 1986. I slipped her a note expressing my love to her, because we never seemed to get time to be alone (this was before cell phones, internet, etc).

In Feb 1987, I moved to Dallas. I wrote Clara a letter asking her to be my girlfriend. She accepted and we planned our first date. She lived in Monterrey (3 hours south of the Texas/Mexico border). In April 1987, she made arrangements to visit her grandmother in Brownsville, TX.

Our first date was planned! I flew down from Dallas, borrowed my uncles jalopy truck, and picked her up (chaperone’s and all).

My first stop?  I took her to a Dillards at the local mall where they had a photo studio (remember those days?). We had our sitting, and then went on our way. Why did I have a portrait made on April 18, 1987?  Because I knew she was going to be my wife. I never had a doubt since I saw her two years earlier.

On May 16 of this year, we will celebrate 24 years of marriage, but I still celebrate April 18th…it’s our first date, first hold hands, first kiss, first walk together and talk…and I’m so blessed to have a formal portrait of us on that special day.