Stanley Guillory

R.L. Turner High School

Class of 1970

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Stanley Guillory - Class of 1970 - R.L. Turner High School

First Name	Stanley
Last Name	Guillory
Graduation Year	Class of 1970
Gender	Male
City	N/A
State/Province	TX
Country	United States
Occupation	DOT FAA
Married	Yes
About Me	God Has a Plan 4.11 The following is a short story of the circumstances that occurred in my life (Stan Guillory). This story is meant for those who believe that good things can happen to people but who may be experiencing impossible circumstances. This is a short story of faith in a God who desires to have a personal relationship with you, and if He is searched for, He will be found, it will mean ï¿½theï¿½ difference in oneï¿½s life. Those are not my words, those are Godï¿½s promises. I cannot convince or preach to people in accepting Jesus Christ as their Savior. That isnï¿½t my purpose here on earth; that is the purpose of the convicting power of the Holy Spirit. My purpose is to portray, in the simplest possible way, my growing relationship with Jesus Christ through the circumstances I went through. He was, and always will be, with me every step of the way, here and the hereafter. How lost I would be without Him. But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. 1 Cor. 2:9 (KJV) In the hot and humid summer of 1968, the Guillorys (my dad, mom, brother and me) moved from just north of Bachman Lake in North Dallas to Farmers Branch, Texas. During that long summer I met Beverly Fletcher, my future wife, while on a triple date. At the time she was dating the driver of the car that night. I was dating the driverï¿½s sister that same evening. By the time school started later that year, Beverly and I were running around with each other and before we knew it, we were best friends. Other than us liking each other, our backgrounds were quite different in that Beverly was a Southern Baptist city girl and I, of course, was from a small Louisiana town named Bunkie located in an area that was predominantly Roman Catholic. When we all are growing up, we are waiting or trying to ï¿½get outï¿½ of somethingï¿½ school, military, work, etc. Most of the things we do or go through get better as we go. I thought it was great when we graduated from high school. I got out in May of 1970. Beverly graduated at mid term (12/1970). On 02/05/1971 we got married (this was one of those great things). During this time our country was going though one of its most trying times. The war in Vietnam appeared to be getting out of hand while racial riots were becoming the norm. Civil strife was rampant up north and daily reports of these events were the spotlight of nightly news broadcasts. During the War the draft was enacted on December 2, 1969, using a Lottery System otherwise known as The Selective Service System. The Selective Service System was notifying the nation's 4,000 draft boards to arrange their files of draft eligible young men for 1970 with those born Sept. 14 at the top of the heap to be called up first. The night's long-awaited lottery-by-birthday drawing opened with an invocation and closed with a benediction. The official notice sent to state and local Selective Service authorities placed those men with June 8 birthdays in 366th position -- at the very bottom. After all was said and done that evening, and even though I was only 19 years of age, I placed Number 138. For those with birthdays drawn in the upper portion of the lottery list -- April 24, Dec. 30, Feb. 14, Oct. 18, Sept. 6, Oct. 26, Sept. 7, Nov. 22 and Dec. 6 round out the top 10 -- the uncertainty over their draft status has ended. Those eligible knew they would be drafted early in the year unless they volunteered first. Consequently, those at the bottom of the lottery listing knew they would not be drafted and could plan their lives accordingly. For those in the middle or marginal area of the drawing, uncertainty still existed. But they certainly knew most definitely by the end of 1970 whether they would be inducted. The draft was going on then, they were using a lottery system and on August 5th of 1971, I was 19 years old and the lottery number for my birthday was 138. According to the pundits, they said the drafters would go through the number 200 that year. Knowing this, something tugged at my conscience, which resulted in me joining the United States Air Force (USAF) in hopes of not getting drafted. After being enlisted for only two months, the draft sequence stopped at 136. In retrospect, Beverly and I were glad that I had enlisted in the Air Force because of the technical schooling I had received. Little could I foresee that this in-depth schooling in Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) would pay major dividends providing for our future wherever we chose to live. After joining the Air Force in Dallas on April 20th of 1971, I was immediately sent to San Antonio for seven weeks of Basic Military Training School at Lackland Air Force Base (AFB). After completing ï¿½Basicï¿½, I was assigned to Sheppard AFB in Wichita Falls, Texas, for another five months learning the fundamentals of Air Conditioning and Refrigeration. After successfully completing technical school I was assigned to Reese Air Force Base in Lubbock, Texas, for the rest of my Air Force career. Even though I enjoyed the military and what it had to offer, I could foresee a different life in running my own business utilizing the skills I had learned in the military. I had enough self-confidence that Beverly and I made a decision to trek out on our own, once my military commitment had been completed. After making the easy decision not to reenlist, I felt liberated as I had not only honorably completed by commitment to the USAF, but was about to embark on a civilian career in Lubbock. After receiving an Honorable Discharge from the United States Air Force in April of 1975, Beverly and I set out on another adventure. I had taken a job with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and worked there for eight years. In 1984 we quit after we had the air conditioning business going ï¿½full throttleï¿½. We named the business, ï¿½Lubbock Air Conditioning Heating and Refrigeration". As a result of my wifeï¿½s loyal support with all my endeavors in running the Air Conditioning Business in Lubbock we prospered for five years, yet, our hearts became heavy and in tuned with events transpiring back home. We both knew that our parents were getting on in years and that they may need our help even though, by their nature, they would never ask for it. We could hear the frailty in their voices and didnï¿½t want to spend time away from those who nurtured our very existence through our formative years. After numerous discussions and hours on bended knee while simultaneously seeking spiritual guidance from our Lord, the decision was made to return to the Dallas Metroplex in 1989. We stayed a total of 18 years in Lubbock. We sold most all we had and moved back to the Dallas area in 1989, as we had planned. Through out first six years, Beverly and I tried to have children but unfortunately Beverly miscarried twice. An answer to our prayers came when we adopted our one and only child, Eric, on January 25, 1977. He was born on August 30 of the previous year and was the blessing we had long hoped and prayed for. This was one of those great things in our life. Our new little son, who we considered a ï¿½God-send,ï¿½ was instrumental in transforming our lives, our views, and our approach in all things including how we treated other people and how we chose to lead our lives. Consequently, the Lord softened our hearts in understanding even the most complex. The establishment of lifelong friendships, which exist even unto this day, reciprocated our compassion towards others and putting Jesus Christ first in everything. Beverly was very influential in providing a stable, solid foundation in Ericï¿½s upbringing; she could always be depended upon to provide him sound guidance from a motherï¿½s perspective. The bonds and emotional development made at home by parents during these years produced critical long-term results. Beverly and I cherished and loved all the moments we spent with Eric. Beverly spent the majority of time with him as the primary nurturer because she didn't work outside the home very much. She provided lifeï¿½s daily lessons in his life and raised him with the Christian values he uses as his moral foundation to this day. Beverly did most of the home schooling with him although I did manage to participate in a couple of his subjects. Eric was very good at most of his schoolwork. Beverly enjoyed being with Eric very much during activities they did together. A Tumultuous Decade Some of the worst things that happened in our lives were: 1985 turned out to be a tumultuous year for the both of us. Beverly's grandmother, from her father's side, died in January of 1985. In May of that year my grandfather, my motherï¿½s stepfather, passed away. In November of 1986, my dadï¿½s father died. Then in March of 1987, my dadï¿½s mom died. In March of 2001, my grandmother on my motherï¿½s side died. In October of 2001, Beverly lost her grandmother on her motherï¿½s side. She lost her grandfather on her motherï¿½s side the year before I met her in 1968. My dad had a stroke in June of 2001, and died in January of 2002. On the brighter side, Eric and Monica Journee were married and shortly after became the proud parents of little ï¿½Emily Roseï¿½ on May 27, 2005. This was one of the greatest blessings that occurred in our lives. I donï¿½t think I had ever seen Beverly enjoy anything more than when she was with Emily Rose. I believe Emily kept Beverly going longer than anything else in her life. Emily inspired her to live everyday as if it was her last. Beverly and I had plans to start traveling and seeing more of this great country of ours. In March of 2000, Beverly and I planed a long needed vacation. We made reservations to stay one week in San Antonio. It was arranged for us to go in April of that year. Unfortunately, Beverly had a skin irritation problem and went to see a doctor specializing in epidermal issues. He insisted on an immediate blood test and called her to come back to speak with him the very next day. We did not have a regular primary care doctor so he recommended one in the same building. Beverly told me she was always feeling tired, lethargic, with a loss of appetite and gaining weight. The doctor performed yet another more in-depth blood test. The results were regrettable in that the test revealed her one and only kidney had stopped functioning (she was born with only one). We went to Lewisville Hospital and had tubes put into her chest so she could start immediate dialysis treatments. She had lots of trouble with doing hemodialysis. Hemodialysis is a method used for removing waste products such as potassium and urea, as well as free water from the blood when the kidneys are in renal failure. Beverly had to develop ways to use her arm wile having two 15-gauge needles put into it each time she went to have the dialysis done. We found out since she had small veins, her blood would clog the system the doctors had set up on her. After two to three years we changed to a system called peritoneum dialysis (PD). In PD, a dialysis fluid is entered into the patientï¿½s abdominal (peritoneal) cavity (the ï¿½bellyï¿½), which is covered by a thin membrane, containing many small blood vessels. This membrane, called the peritoneum, is like a big bag that keeps the stomach, intestines, liver, and other organs in place. The dialysis fluid will make water, salts, and the waste products move from the blood into the fluid (also called solution). This process is called dialysis, and means that the peritoneum works as a dialysis filter. As the fluid gets saturated after a while, the solution must be exchanged regularly. It worked very well for her. Main advantages were she got to stay at home and do this at night when she was sleeping. During this time, we definitely grew closer to each other; she had to rely on me more. I donï¿½t know why, but I enjoyed taking care of her so much. In retrospect, I look at what I had seen other men do to their wife and families while in similar situations. When things get a little tough they just get up and abandon them; I donï¿½t understand that at all. I needed to be with her in the mornings, so the FAA, my employer, worked with me in allowing me to work the evening shifts only. This enabled me to take care of her daily needs while being able to provide for our monetary needs as well. Beverly had to go to the hospital a lot, to have procedures done to keep her going medically speaking. I am so glad I have the job I do with the FAA. I was able to use accumulated Sick or Annual Leave to be with her all the time she needed me. Her parents were also able to help a lot. Also my job at the airport was cathartic in many ways. It allowed me to think about things other than Beverlyï¿½s illness. At times, this is what a person needs in order to get a grasp on all the events that are occurring. Not only did it allow me to have time alone with God, but it also was instrumental in allowing me to put things in perspective. The Lord knew my true feelings and what I had been going though as a man and husband. Little did I know that He was preparing me for the events to come in my life. I feel God is always in the process of engineering circumstances through which He can reveal Himself to each and every one of us. It's in times of adversity that we can come to a greater realization of the Lordï¿½s incredible faithfulness to his children. But we also must have faith in Him and be ready to listen while having the desire to have a personal relationship with Him. Imagine how Noahï¿½s comprehension of Godï¿½s faithfulness increased after his deliverance through the flood. Think about how Davidï¿½s trust grew after he killed the lion and bear that attacked his sheep. I canï¿½t imagine what Gideon thought when God told him to get rid of most of his soldiers because he had too many. But after the victory, his faith soared. On and on we could go, telling similar stories. In each case, adversity was the means by which the Lord revealed that He could be trusted. Godï¿½s faithfulness does not always take the form of deliverance from adversity. Instead, the Lord sometimes chooses to sustain us through it. Take, for instance, a man marooned on a deserted island. As he explores his surroundings, he discovers a speedboat washed up on shore with a full tank of gas. He cranks the engine and away he goes, delivered from being stranded. Letï¿½s take the same example again, only this time, he does not discover a boat. Instead the man happens upon a deserted house and a fruit orchard. Inside the house, he finds all the tools he needs to cultivate the orchard. Although he is still stranded on the island, he will be able to survive because God sustains him through it. In both scenarios, the man was provided with what he needed to live. When God does not change our circumstances, He sustains us through them. This is what the writer of Hebrews referred to when he wrote, Let us therefore draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need (Hebrew 4:16). This verse does not promise us a change of circumstances, freedom from pain, or deliverance from our enemies. It simply states that when we have a need, God will shower us with mercy and grace. Paul certainly didn't lack confidence in Godï¿½s faithfulness. Yet the Lord opted not to remove the ï¿½thornï¿½ in his flesh. Instead, He chose to sustain Paul through his pain. When the apostle asked for relief, Godï¿½s simple reply was, ï¿½My grace is sufficient for youï¿½ (2 Cor. 12:9). In other words, ï¿½Paul, you will continue to suffer. But if you hang in there with Me, you will make it.ï¿½ This is what the Lord had been telling me during all our conversations together. He was there for me and I was there for Him. But I had to depend on him no matter how rough it got. During this time (the years 2000 to 2007) in our lives, Beverly and I were going to Hebron Baptist Church. We had the best of friends and found out we had some relatives through Beverlyï¿½s background who were attending the church. After some time, a lot of the people became more like family to us because they got so close to us deepening our personal relationships with them. The older men of the church became like father figures, mentoring me after my dad had past away. They provided Godly wisdom, direction and advice at a time when I was feeling empty, frustrated and tired. I truly believe God had sent them at the perfect time to provide me console, rest and hope in a world I was beginning to lose faith in. At first I was befriended by one of the men, Henry. He did the majority of maintenance around the church. He showed me around the place and I helped him for about a year or so. He had a stomach problem and died of a cancer as a result of his infirmity. I started doing a lot of the maintenance around the church because I had been trained to do that in the Air Force. I enjoyed doing it and it brought a great joy to me to know that I was doing what the Lord had wanted me to do and better yet, it was in His house. It's amazing when you're doing the right thing, in the right place, for the right reason, how the Lord speaks to you through these circumstances. I felt led by God to contribute in performing these tasks. During Beverlyï¿½s prolonged illness, the church membership as a whole prayed for us and supported us greatly, in every way they could. Beverly took personal pride in contributing to the church by taking care of the Informational Bulletin Boards in the Churchï¿½s Main Lobby and in the main office area. She used a ï¿½3-dimensional layoutï¿½ format and many themes throughout the year depending on upcoming events or holidays. She did a great job; I helped her and took pictures of most of them. Friends Forever One of the couples we befriended at the church was Vince and Diane Knarr. I'll never forget the first time Beverly and I met Vince. When he came up to me, I introduced myself then I said this is Beverly. He said, ï¿½Oh, I see you brought your daughterï¿½. After he said that, I just knew we were going to get along great because he liked to kid around like I do. Beverly was not only flattered but felt the same as I. Vinceï¿½s wife, Diane, was the Church Secretary. So most of the time we went to church she was there attending to the administrative duties of the church. Beverly and Diane had a lot in common; like beautiful colors, things that sparkled and the way they go together were nuances they had in common with each other. Vince and Diane, as well as Diane and Beverly would collaborate in bringing all sorts of food to the Church when we had functions such as Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, etc. Unfortunately, Vince had chronic heart troubles and died December 12 2004. Simultaneously, Beverly was having a lot of medically related problems and as a result we could not attend his funeral. This hurt us so much not to be there for Diane. In 2005, Beverly took a turn for the worse and was going to the Emergency Room more frequently. I could tell she was getting progressively weaker physically and mentally. She just didn't recover as quickly as she had previously; she never returned to her healthier previous state. I could tell her intuition told her so because of the subtle things she would say, such as, ï¿½I feel good today but not as good as I have in the pastï¿½. She wondered aloud saying, ï¿½The thing that bothers me is this will be the best I will ever feel again!ï¿½ There is no doubt Beverly was a Christian of the highest order. She was very devoted and loved God. Many times we did a lot of talking about the next life. She asked me once, ï¿½When I here a song, or see a show about Jesusï¿½ suffering and it makes me cry, does that mean Iï¿½m saved?ï¿½ Beverly and I wrote a letter that we gave to Eric on his 16th birthday that said, ï¿½We will most likely die before you. If God will let us we will be at the Pearly Gates waiting to see you come in, we will be waiting to welcome you homeï¿½. It was at that time that Beverly told me it looked like she would be there waiting for me. Did she have a premonition that she would pass away? She told me at least ten separate times I needed someone else in my life to help me get through life if she could not survive her illness. This would not only be to help me, but so I could help them, no matter who it would be. To encourage her, I told her that we had at least 20 more years together and I would be too old for anyone by then. I had previously found out that most people could go 20 to30 years on dialyses. On the average, transplants last five to seven years. During my research, the most I found was a woman who had survived another 13 years, and then she died of cancer. By now I had become a Deacon and was leading the adult Sunday school class. We had some very in-depth and long talks about our lives together. There is no doubt that we were best of friends, and enjoyed each other very much. There are a few things that we did not do together or enjoy together, but what couple has it perfect. I found out later from her mother that Beverly had told her to let me know I needed to find someone else to get through the rest of this life. It's almost as if she could sense that her life would not be much longer. The worst thing that has ever happened to me happened in January of 2007. In December of 2006, Beverly had gotten an abscess in her stomach. This was a result of the tubing that was in it because of the peritoneum dialysis she had been going through. The doctors had taken it out and put her on antibiotics, and at that time all looked good. In January of 2007, on the 15th, I was at work like any other evening. I attempted calling her yet she would not answer the phone. I called her parents asking them to go check on her and see what was going on. She would not respond to them very well. I got home and tried to talk to her. She would look up at me and call out my name. I called for an ambulance to take her to the hospital. As the paramedics were taking her out of the room she started calling out to her mother. It reminded me of the way the dieing solders did in the show ï¿½Saving Private Ryanï¿½. When we got to the hospital I was watching her very carefully, and she seemed to just slip into a deep sleep never to awake again. I found out later that the abscess in her stomach had ruptured and caused Escherichia coli (E. coli) to get into her blood stream. Iï¿½m very sure that she died on January 17, 2007. Officially, the hospital personnel stated she died on January 22, 2007. We buried her body on January 26, 2007. I know without a doubt she went to be with our Savior and is awaiting the day when she will make her trek to the pearly gates to await my arrival when we all will be together again. She served HIM well while making my life happy and complete. She is without a doubt ï¿½theï¿½ example for all other Christian women to follow in serving Christ our Lord. I thank God for what seemed to be the briefest of time in allowing her to bless my life with her presence. She is the epitome of unconditional love. As a result of how she lived her life, she has earned the words as stated below in Matthew 25:23 "His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!' Starting on January 16 2007, I started looking through our power of attorneys and wills, as the hospital needed to know what we had setup. I started finding some of Beverlyï¿½s writings; some poems, some letters to me that started in about 1973, and diaries all the way through a year just before she died. I did not get a chance to go through them until that time. On about January 27 2007, I got all her writings out and started putting them in some kind of order. During the entire process I cried my eyes out looking through all her things. I was doing this all by myself. No one was there to help me get through it at all. Yes, I would see Eric, Monica and Emily; but just no one to help through those times when I was looking at the letters, notes and diaries she wrote to me. All that I had been going through was spelled out so clearly. If I had not believed in the Word of God I would have surely been doomed. I believed that The Word of God became flesh through the virgin birth of Jesus The Christ, and He became the sacrificial Lamb of God Who took away the sin of the world. And all we have to do is believe in our heart that He suffered, died, was buried, and rose on the 3rd day according to the scriptures. I do believe 2 Cor. 5:8 We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord. When we are absent from the body we are present with the Lord. I have to hang on to this not only for believing where Beverly is but where we as Christians are going. I continued putting Beverlyï¿½s letters and notes together through February. In March I had to do something to get back to a normal life. Yes, I was going to work and then home and all I was doing was going through all types of emotions not knowing where to go or turn next. When I was at work, it was so hard not to pick up the phone at 8pm and call home. So I prayed and prayed and some how I got this peace in my heart and mind that I cannot explain and I do not understand how I can feel so at ease!!! So much at peace and calm in my heart and mind except God gave it to me!!! Then I ran across this passage. Philip. 4:6-7 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. [7] And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. About two or three weeks after Beverly was buried Eric, Monica, Diane and I went to see her grave and Dianeï¿½s brotherï¿½s grave at the Veterans Cemetery. When I got out of the car at the Cemetery I made the comment ï¿½This reminds me of the seen in the movie, The Good, The Bad and The Ugly.ï¿½ When we got home Eric turned on the TV, and by some strange coincidence (I thought) that same scene was on TV where they were standing in that graveyard facing each other. We all just stood there looking at each other and the TV, and wandered. In March and April I started going to church a lot to catch up with things that needed repair. I also got more involved with every thing I could at the church. One of the persons I started working around more, because she was always there, was Diane. She always had been a very nice person and seemed to care for the same things I did. About one and one half to two years ago, Beverly and I were talking about the future and she was in one of those moods in which she vocalized aloud that I would need someone in my life to get through the rest of it. She said, in jest and or kidding, ï¿½It wouldnï¿½t surprise me if it were Dianeï¿½. I told her I didnï¿½t need that in my mind and by the time she went, I would be too old to think about getting married again. I told her we had at least another twenty to thirty years to go. Ever since Beverly said that about Diane, I would do what I had to at the church and go on to work or get back to home, because I did not want to have tempting thoughts about Diane. I cannot pin point the exact date, but I guess it was the middle of March to first of April that I told Diane I needed to talk to her. It never came together at the church, so I met her at the park next to her house. All I wanted to know was ï¿½Is there any chance for us to get together next year?ï¿½ What I said was ï¿½some day I will probably get married againï¿½. She understood what I was saying but immediately made it very clear that she had no plans to ever get married again. I thought, that was that, and there is no chance this is going to evolve into anything but a friendship with her. Somehow when the motion picture, Amazing Grace, came out, she and I went to see it on March 2, 2007. The East Air Traffic Control Tower was closed for remodeling. So one Thursday after Diane got off from work I took her to the tower cab to show her what it was like to see the airport from there. I had the plan to ask her to let me kiss her in the cab, just for the novelty of it. I asked, she let me, I messed it up like I seem to always do on that first kiss. I found out later she was to tell me that night that we could be friends, but good friends only. Just after the messed up kiss I got a call from Monica to tell me that Eric had left her and Emily. It took a while but we got there as soon as we could. Eric came back in a week or so, but left again two to three weeks later. He finally came back and seemed to get things back together with Monica and Emily, but turned against me completely. They lost their house and moved in with my brother and his family for a few months. At the time of this writing they have an apartment in Plano. Just after this time Diane and I had gone out somewhere on a Saturday night and I had taken her home. I kissed her good night. I thought it was always special for me to kiss her but at about 10 to 10:30PM that night she called me and asked, ï¿½What have you done to meï¿½? She said she was feeling dizzy and weak all night. I did not know what she meant but she did not even come to church the next day. She told me she had prayed that God needed to change her mind or mine about how we felt about each other. God would have to change me to think of her as just a friend, or God would have to change her mind about marriage. From that day on we started seeing if it would work between us. I started righting a letter to Diane and got most of it together and it went like this: 1 Corinthians 13 4 Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant, 5 does not behave rudely, It does not insist on its own way; is not provoked; 6 it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. 7 Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. I will be patient I will be kind I will not be envious If I boast, it will be of you I could not be rude to you I will insist on your own ways I will not knowingly do you wrong I will endure through every circumstance with you. As warm salty tears have trickled down my face, now I know what is important. My heart once again has felt the pulse of love, which I do so freely desire and willing to giveï¿½ If it were possible to speak with the language of an angel; this is what I would say to you. And if I used a musical instrument to convey my feelings, this is what the notes would portray. I would convey that my love for you is as the second kind of love like the divine attitude toward human kind God had for us. A love that does not want that which belongs to others; a love, which is never a braggart; a love, which is not prideful. A love, which is forgetful of self and only thoughtful of othersï¿½ A love, which is unselfish, one, which is not embittered by abuse, insult, or injury. A love, which over looks the small unintentional mistakes, a human can make because God has made us human. A love, which rejoices not in iniquity, one that never gossips about the misdeeds of others. But only proclaims that which His word identifies as truth. I will bear all things and try never to complain. I will believe all things; taking the kindest views of all men, I will hope in all things; keep believing for the best. Andï¿½ I will endure all things, realizing that all times both good and bad are that which enriches the lives of those who believe. When coal starts its arduous journey of transformation; little does it know that lifeï¿½s toils will result in the shine of a diamond. Itï¿½s a transformation, which can only have been created by God. I will rejoices in the one and only truth, that I will never give up on you, I will never lose faith, and I will always be hopeful, that you will give me the answer I need. If you could feel for me, just half as much as I love you, I know I could promise all that is conveyed in these thoughts. In the meantime Eric, Monica and Shelly (my brothers wife), were writing me e-mail letters when they found out what Diane and I were thinking; they were very much against us getting married on July 7, 2007 (07/07/07). They said it wasnï¿½t against Diane but it was the timing of it all. I guess they felt I had not mourned enough due to Beverly's passing. My brotherï¿½s birthday was June 6, 2007 (05/06/07). I had decided to go to this party and try to talk to them and make the final decision on getting married on July 7, 2007 (07/07/07) or February 2, 2008 (02/02/08). I hardly got a word out when Eric, Monica, Shelly and my mom, turned on me and I could not get a word in. I could not take it any longer so I left. On the way home I thought about what they said to me, about me, and about Diane and me. Not only was that a defamation of character but they were also calling Beverly a liar. It could never be taken back and made right. So in essence, they helped me to make up my mind about the wedding date. I knew that Diane would be at the church that night. It was a banquet for the Approved Workmen Are Not Ashamed (AWANA) kids group, in which she was the Commander. When the banquet was over, I went up to Diane and told her it was time to make it official. Margie Grimes (one of the elder women in our church) knew what I was doing and wanted to make sure everyone that remained in the room also knew. She called out for everyone to look. Her voice was not loud enough for everyone to hear. So David Kovatch (the music director), not knowing why, but helped Margie by yelling loudly ï¿½may I have your attention.ï¿½ There were about 30 people still in the room and every one of them looked at us. I looked at Diane and said, ï¿½I did not want it to happen this way.ï¿½ Margie says ï¿½go ahead, Stan, ask her.ï¿½ I looked at Diane and she took off for the other side of the room. I caught up with her and we faced each other and I got down on one knee and asked, ï¿½Will you marry me?ï¿½ She just let me put the ring on her finger as she was shaking her head yes. After she got the ring on she took off to the food pantry and hid. The room was in an uproar of laughter, clapping, and cheers. I did get Laura Largent (one of the elder women in our church) to take a few pictures. Events kept on happening which indicated to us that this was meant to be, I hope I can remember at least half of them. The only reason we picked the 7ï¿½s, is because 7 is the completion number in the Bible. So what could be so much more complete then to do something great on July 7, 2007 (07/07/2007)? Her birthday is December the 13th (12/13) 1+2+1+3=7, mine is December the 31st (12/31) 1+2+3+1=7, the year she was born adds up to 21=7+7+7, the year I was borne is 1951, = (with a little manipulation) 1+9=10, = 1+0+5+1=7. We got married on July 7, 2007 (07/07/07) and if we got married in February of 2008 that would be 7 months later. And, by the way, we both got married previously in February, (Diane and Vince on February 1st, Beverly and I on February 5th). And both our spousesï¿½ birthdays were in May, just as both Dianeï¿½s and mine are in December. I figured out later Beverly died in her 7th year of her loosing her kidney. Beverlyï¿½s funeral was our pastors (Ben Mullen) 7th one. Beverlyï¿½s maiden name was Fletcher. Dianeï¿½s motherï¿½s maidenï¿½s name was Fletcher. The date was set, all came together, and we got married on July 7, 2007, at the First Baptist Church Hebron. The wedding went great, this was one of those times we were blessed to see the church completely full. We could not remember a time that many people tried to get into the Fellowship Hall. Dianeï¿½s daughter, Lisa, was her Brideï¿½s Maid and Tony Lujan was my Best Man. Tony gave the best toast to Diane and me that anyone could give any friend. The following is what his exact words in the form of a prayer were: ï¿½May I have your attention? It is always appropriate and customary for the Best Man to offer a toast to the newly wedded couple; however, today I would like to do something a little different. Instead of the customary toast, I would like to offer a ï¿½prayer-toastï¿½ to Stan and Diane in remembrance of this beautiful day. So if you will all bow you heads, close your eyes and listen to the words Iï¿½m about to speakï¿½ï¿½.. Lord God, we thank you for this glorious day. A day in which your eternal blessings have once again, come to fruition. Without you, and the sacrifice youï¿½re Son Jesus Christ, who provided for our redemption, this would not be possible. Lord, some of the first words you uttered on manï¿½s behalf were: "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him." Genesis 2:18 Lord, I prayed that you would bless Stan with a companion who could live up to the standard you chose for a God-fearing man such as him. Knowing Stan, I knew that you would choose a woman who had attributes such as these seven women in the bible: 1. Firstly, Abigail ï¿½ A Beautiful, approachable and intelligent woman. 2. One like Ruth - Unselfishness, a brave love, exemplifying unshaken trustfulness. 3. Also one like Rebecca ï¿½ A women of immeasurable internal and external beauty. 4. One like Esther ï¿½ A Great heroine in a time of oppression 5. Like Deborah ï¿½ One you possesses a Spirit of Patriotism and Vigilance 6. One like Anna ï¿½ with Foresight and wisdom 7. and finally, one like Lydia ï¿½ who had Openness of heart. Stan has always been a leader to all those who have come to know him, especially to me. He has always set the example for others to emulate. He provides encouragement to others when needed. Heï¿½s always the one; others wait on to arrive, no matter the occasion. He is the life of the party! Lord, I thank you for blessing my life with his friendship. As it states in The Book of John 15, Verse 13: ï¿½Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friendsï¿½ Jesus did this for us, and Stan, this I would do for you! Everybody, now please raise your glass with me in wishing this couple the best life has to offer, and may the rest of your lives be also blessed. Thank you for listening!ï¿½ Performing as the Ring Bearer was Matthew Nattier, Flower Girl was Abby Ramirez and Ushers were Marco Ramirez and Preston McCallum. This was a perfect time in both of our lives. I found out my brother told my mom he was going to the wedding to show his support. My mom told him to take her to the wedding also. Beverlyï¿½s dad and mom( Mat and Mary Fletcher) were there also. There were a lot of things we had to work out. Diane had hospitalization coverage for life through Vince. Her home mortgage was paid for. She did not owe money on anything or to anybody. The only thing I owed on was my mortgage. I told her, in the worst things that could ever happen in life I would take care of her through it all. One of the things we did before we got married was watch ï¿½The Song of Salomonï¿½ tapes on marriage. We strongly recommend this to all who choose to marry and to already married couples. On our honeymoon the first thing we did was to kneel down together beside the bed and I led us in what I called ï¿½Our Wedding Prayerï¿½. Our Wedding Prayer Dear Heavenly Father Thank you for bringing us together as a couple. We know if we come to You own our own merit, we donï¿½t have a chance to be with You. All we are, are just sinners. We come to You through what You have done for us through The Word of God; the Creator of all things that became flesh, through the virgin birth of Jesus the Christ. Jesus became the sacrificial Lamb of God, which paid for and took away all the sin of the world. All we have done and will ever do wrong have already been paid for. But all we have to do is believe YOU. We confess that the Lord Jesus the Christ is our Savor. We believe the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. ï¿½That Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the scriptures." We ask You to bless this union that we have, that You have just started. We give You the glory and the honor for everything we have. We ask for Your wisdom, knowledge and ways above ours. We ask for peace in our minds and heart that only You can give. We can never thank You enough for all You have given us. Thank You again; in the name of Jesus we pray all thisï¿½ We went to San Antonio for our Honeymoon. We stayed at the Emily Morgan Hotel. It was just across the street from the Alamo. It was built, as a doctorï¿½s office, hospital, and in the basement was the morgue for San Antonio during that time in history. I remember on November 30, 2007, Diane and I went to eat at our favorite Chinese Restaurant. We were just about done when the waitress brought the bill and of course two complimentary fortune cookies as they did with all patrons. Diane had just gone to get one more thing and I got this urge to do something I had never done. I took one of the cookies and I said to God ï¿½You know me God, I have never taken any one of these cookies serious and if something comes up that anyone could say, like normally does, I will not pay any attention to it. But, God, things have gone so good for us and we believe it is all from you, so could you just tell me, is this what it is all about when we follow you as close as we do, and are all these good times, joy, and love we feel for each other on the path that we should be going on?ï¿½ I opened the cookie and it said, ï¿½Your lucky number for this week is 7.ï¿½ Do I need to say anymore? I do not believe in ï¿½luckï¿½, I believe it is all ï¿½ordainedï¿½ by God. On December 8, 2007, one of the first things I did that morning as usual was turn on the TV. The Rifleman was on. I told Diane this was one of my old time favorites. I told her about the one where Luke told his son about Job from the Bible. Sure enough this was the one where Luke pointed out that Job had 7 children 7,000 head of cattle and so forth; all with the 7ï¿½s again. On December the 10th, I went to fill up one of the vans at work with gas. Someone from work had left the van just about empty over the weekend. When I pushed the odometer button to see the mileage, it came up at 7077. On December 20th Diane called me as I was on my way to work to let me know on December 30th, I would be reading during church out of the Book of Lamentations 3:19-25. I had my radio on and someone was doing a study on ï¿½The Steadfast Love of Godï¿½ and one of the verses was Lamentations 3:22. Happily Married Diane and I share so much together as all married husbands and wives ought to. Things we like to do first thing each morning is to get up and have a cup of coffee. Since being married to Diane I've come accustomed to eating a much healthier diet and taking vitamins. We continue to go to church, being active in the church. We pray at each meal and any other time we need to or feel like it. We watch and like the same shows on TV, the same movies, and listen to similar typeï¿½s of music. In May or June of 2006, I bought a BMW motorcycle from Loy Kirkland, which he had won in a contest in 1997. I would ride it to church on good days. I found out that Diane not only likes to ride but also had a bike years ago. I sometimes think she likes to ride more than I. Unfortunately, two weeks after our honeymoon one of my uncles passed away. Diane and I picked up my mom and we all went to Louisiana to attend his funeral (everyone seemed to accept us there). During the last week of October we went to Branson Missouri for four days. For the Thanksgiving Holiday we went back to Louisiana to attend a small family reunion. Everyone definitely showed us that they accepted our marriage. We planned to do as much traveling as possible. When Iï¿½m at work I can call home again because I know Diane will be there to answer the telephone. One of the biggest things we have in common is we both lost our soul mates. We both saw our mate wither away do to ailing health. We started mourning for them before they died. The last year of their life both spent more time in the hospital then in their own homes. Diane and I both went to work, hospital, and home to cry ourselves to sleep. It was always hard to go home to a cold empty house when they were in the hospital. And the only reason to go home is to catch up on the minimum necessities that you had to do. A person doesn't have time to do one extra thing anywhere or at any time in your life. A person is constantly thinking about what is needed to help your mate, no matter where you are. You are trying to think of anything that will make them more comfortable no matter where they are. We prayed our heart and soul to the "Nth" degree that God would perform a miracle. And now looking backï¿½. He didï¿½ï¿½.. Diane and I have so much in common and have been through so much of the same things; itï¿½s just natural that we can get along so easily with each other. We both love The Lord with all our heart. We love to go to church and be involved in most all there is to do there. I was raised up in a lower middle class home and family and lived north of Dallas Love Field airport. If you were outside and a jet passed over, you had to pause what you were saying, if in conversation with someone until it passed over so you could listen to one another. In 1968, we moved to Farmers Branch, Texas. On the other hand, Diane was raised in an upper middle class home. If we were in the same high school or college, she would have been one of those girls that someone in my view point would have just dreamed of and never been able to have a chance to even talk to. Not only because of her social class but also because of her mesmerizing outward beauty which can only be matched by her inner beauty. Most importantly, we both base all our decisions on what God has in His Word. In September 2008, my son Eric went from calling me ï¿½Stanï¿½ back to calling me ï¿½Dadï¿½. In November 2008, Eric and his wife Monica were at our house one evening that I had to work. In a conversation that Eric had with Diane, he asked if he could start calling her, ï¿½Momï¿½; a term of endearment created for that special relationship between son and mother. She & I were delighted... Every time he calls her Mom this solidifies their relationship even more. I have to tell you the minimums to have eternal life; Have you ever told a lie? Have you ever stolen something? Have you ever taken Godï¿½s name (God, Jesusï¿½) in vain? Have you ever lusted after someone or hated some one? Jesus said if you think in your heart that you have done something, then you have just as well have done it. Romans 3:23-27 "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; all have come short, and they cannot meet God's criteria. They can no way claim to be good enough to enter God's heaven. Romans 6:23 "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life..." Wages you work for, and that's what you deserve, but a gift is something you do not deserve. And that is what Salvation is all about. It's a gift, and not something that you can do, not one iota of work to earn; it has to be a gift. ï¿½ï¿½ through Jesus Christ our Lord." Romans 1:16 "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it (the Gospel) is the power of God unto salvation..." Paul has brought it out to the Gentile world and now God lays that responsibility upon Gentiles to believe the Gospel which Paul calls "My Gospel:" Romans 2:16 "In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel." This shows that you will be judged by the gospel you believe in. Romans 16:25 "Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began." (For more info on the mystery ask for it). Salvation, it's that all-inclusive word that implies everything that God does on behalf of the believer who cries out, "I'm a sinner, I'm in need of Salvation, and I believe that Christ died for me." Then God does everything else. He imputes righteousness, He forgives, He cleanses, He baptizes us into Christ's Body, He does everything that needs to be done, and how do we know He did it? by faith. You're not going to feel any of those things, or see any of those things, but you're going to know that He did it because The Bible says so. But what is the Gospel? Go to I Corinthians 15, the first four verses. And here is the Gospel that saves you. I Corinthians 15:1-4 "Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved (it's by the Gospel that you're saved), if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received (Paul received our Gospel from the crucified, buried, and Resurrected Lord from Heaven), how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose agai...(read more)