She was gone! I had awakened early and it always takes me a while to come back from the “never never land” of deep sleep to the “here and now land” of the real world. Still half asleep, I rolled toward Diane’s side of the bed reached out and realized she was gone.
Although my body was moving, my brain was not fully functional. It’s called “brain lag.” It’s like jet lag only without the plane.
She’s gone! The thought yanked my brain into the present.
A frantic flailing arm and furtive blurry eyes scanned the empty bed and were finally calmed by a slow brain. It gradually dawned on me that Diane had risen early to play golf with her girlfriends.
As I lay there, that same slow brain reminded me of how much I loved this woman. We just celebrated our 47th wedding anniversary and over the past weeks I have thought about the many reasons I am so grateful to share life with her. Here are just a few…
She has loved me for who I am.
Messy
Forgetful
Scatter brained
Self-centered
Romantically clueless
She has loved me through some very tough times.
Financial hardship
Serious illness
A wandering heart in our early years of marriage
A focus on my career that for a while distracted me from focusing on our relationship
She has been an amazing mother.
Diane devoted her life to raising two beautiful daughters and doting on six spectacular grandchildren. Whatever they become… is her fault!
She has been an indispensable business partner.
Without Diane our finances would be in ruin and I would have no idea where to find the car keys or the car.
She seeks God’s wisdom and His will for her life.
Diane consistently studies the Bible and weighs decisions and actions in light of what is right. She also reads a lot of trashy fiction, evidently to see the consequences of doing wrong.
Does she have flaws?
Yes!
But I will save those for another very short blog Post.
Before I could finish thinking of all the things I love about Diane, I had to get up and start the day.
I questioned putting these thoughts in a post because I wasn’t sure it was the right forum for such deeply personal matters. I also feared that if I included all the reasons I love her so much, it would be a very long post.
They say – behind every successful man there is a strong woman cheering him on.
I say – there is no strong woman behind me! Throughout our marriage Diane has been beside me. Any achievements have been a result of us working together.
I can’t imagine life without her.
Thank God she’s not gone! She’s just out playing very bad golf with friends.
Thank you for reading this tribute!
[reminder]
Comments
Thanks for sharing, Ken. BTW, you are NOT clueless about romance. This is a good bit of evidence to quell that silly thought. Keep up the good work. You’re such a blessing to follow.
She sounds like an amazing woman, hand picked by God just for you. She obviously loves you a great deal. My hope for you both is that she never stops loving you and you never stop noticing and loving her in return.
Beautifully said
What a wonderful tribute. Congratulations to you both on celebrating your 47th anniversary that is an accomplishment in itself.
Sweet!
Cherish is a beautiful word and something we need to do while we have the opportunity to do so.
I love this tribute… and I love that you wrote it while your wife is still alive!
Thank you for sharing this! You can tell that you love & cherish your wife! May God Bless you both always!
Very sweet…I have to say that I agree with all of the other comments. You are romantic, a ‘silly’ romantic maybe but definitely a romantic. And, it is great that you have shared your feelings while she is still here. You are a blessed man and she is blessed to have you.
Love. You. Both.
Love!! Happy Anniversary friends!!
Thank you for sharing your heart. It is wonderful to hear of your great marriage that has stood on the Rock of Jesus Christ and His Word. Thank you to you and your bride Diane, for modeling marriage lived out through trust of God’s Word and Jesus Christ.
You are blessed.
Just beautiful Ken!
We were able to come to an evening with Ken Davis at the Village 7 church in Colorado Springs. It took back to a cruise when you were with the Gaithers. You loaned me your pair of Swarovskis .. to a total stranger. You are a blessed man to have your ‘special wife’. You 2 deserve each other!
I cried. #singlepersonhere
Absolutely love this!
Ken ~ I have long enjoyed listening to you talk. You often have wonderful things to say about your wife, and this is the icing on the cake. I’m glad you appreciate her and that you let the world know it!
Ken, I love this.
I commend you for speaking so highly of your relationship with your beautiful wife. Forty six years is, indeed, a good portion of your life, your entire adult life. I have dealt with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia for 11 years. While still very sickly, I met a wonderful Christian man on a Christian dating site. He wasn’t under any illusions that life would be grand with a sickly wife, yet he had a heart of gold through the Lord which spoke volumes of his great devotion to me, making me his wife, through thick and thin. It sounds like your wife is that beautiful partner, like my husband, who places me alongside him, not behind him. We sold our home in Minnesota last year and are full-time RVers now, seeing this great country. My energy is very limited, so keeping up the interior of our coach is an easy task for me. He takes care of everything else, even cooking much of the time.
Kudos to you for including this moving article on your blog.
Brenda Brown Elliott
YOU HAD ME WITH THE TITLE! I was like NO! PLEASE NO! Ken, you and your wife rock! so glad to have met you this past year at SCORRE, PLATFORM and LAUNCH! keep up the excellent work and i’m definitely sharing this one with my man Luke!
We love you Ken and Diane! Thank you for publicly sharing your love for one another with us; it is a gift that warms our day :).
Awesome. Very bad golf,,,,you’re gonna get it!
Wonderful, so glad you shared. Happy Anniversary you two!
Almost the story of mine, I never had the wondering eye because I knew the BEST said yes to me.
Ok Ken, funny story for you. A simular thing happened to me. I woke up and my wife was gone . In a moment I freaked out “She was raptured and I’ve been left behind.”, then I ran down the hall and did not see my son in his bed. Oh boy, my heart started beating out of my chest. Then I remembered they had an early appointment. True story. BTW, I watched Left Behind with my son the night before, LOL.
Well said, and you woke up and then lightened up and lived, as it seems she is the strength behind why you do what you do. Thanks for sharing
As someone who just lost his true love back in March, I can relate. She was everything to me. I awake in the morning, realize she is gone, but then it sets in that it is the permanent kind of gone…at least here on Earth. She was my partner, my best friend and one who always “endured” my silliness, my moods and my, all too often, selfishness. She is gone. However, I take comfort in the fact that I will see her again but until then, I must learn what it means to be without her.
Simply beautiful, Ken. I think your brand of romance is just a bit different from the average person’s. The happiest of anniversaries to you and Diane.
Sweet words about your wife. You are both lucky to have one another!!
Beautiful lady! And……You’re a good man Charlie Brown!!
But……Don’t scare me like that again!!!!!!!!!!!
I was blessed with a wonderful husband who always kept his family at the top of his list. We were married for 1 month short of 61 yrs. He and I worked side by side to build 2 homes. He made each day a day to accomplish what he set out to do. How I wish that Alzheimer’s disease hadn’t stole him from me and our children. I would rather that he have quality of life for the end of his years, but it wasn’t to be. He made me laugh and I thank God for that. At 88 I know I will see him again soon. I cant wait to hear him laugh. Thank you ,Ken,
for your God given joy that you give us all.
God gave Christ “honor and glory” at his baptism when he spoke beautiful words from heaven concerning him (II Peter 1:17). Peter had previously taught that the husband is to “give honor” to his wife (I Peter 3:7). The English word honor in both verses is from a Greek word which has at its root the idea of high value, esteem, preciousness, dearness. God showed honor in this instance with his words. You too have shown great honor to Diane with your words. It is obvious she is very precious to you. You have taught all husbands a very valuable lesson. Though we may not write as well as you, we can speak words of “honor” to our wives. Thanks for the post. More thanks for the lesson.
I love your humor, and the way you love your wife so openly. Blessings to you and yours.
Ken-
Was just researching you a bit and wondering if you might be a fit for our hospice house fundraiser. When I saw this post I thought- “My goodness! This man knows exactly what loss feels like- but then I realized you know exactly what love feels like and that is as fitting a commentary that one can have at such an event. Will be reaching out to see about your availability.
Beautifully said and she sounds so deserving of sharing her life with.you—-a God-gifted funny man with a huge heart! I just “discovered” you recently and watching you on YouTube has been such a gift. I am an 87 year old fan. My dear husband of 66 years has dementia. I share your stories with him and we enjoy laughing as well as crying together.
Tonight I have been watching the Weather Channel as Hurricane Francine comes ashore in Louisiana. As I watch I send up prayers for the brave weather people but I can’t help thinking of you as I watch them stand out in the wind and driving rain. It’s almost as if they are you bringing us the joy of laughter. I pray that makes sense.
God bless you and your precious wife.
I think often of your touching story about your little granddaughter who was lost,but when I get to the end the story suddenly becomes mine and I can feel God holding me in His arms and saying “ I love you, I love you, I love you. “
I am so happy to hear of husbands and wives in show business of any kind staying together and building a life together.
My husband and I have been together since 1988.
We have two children and 3 grandchildren.
GOD ALMIGHTY, JESUS CHRIST, HIMSELF, HAS BEEN WITH US EVERY STEP OF THE WAY.
THROUGH BAD TIMES AND GOOD.
We have learned a lot. To obey is better than sacrifice. Talking to JESUS,TRUSTING Him and allowing Him to move in our lives is of utmost importance , because HE is a gentleman. He will Not force us to do anything we do not want to do. HE will gently lead us if we will just follow.
YOU CAN USE THAT IF YOU WANT TO. LOL