Meeting My Wife Changed My Life

My dear wife Tanyala died on May 26, 2019 after an extended illness. I am so proud of her of how she exhibited such strong faith, courage, tenacity, and positivity. Her life ended well. However, the day of her death was one of the darkest days of my life along with my two daughters Hannah and Kayla. I loved my wife very much and we would have celebrated our 24th wedding anniversary on June 24th. She was a beautiful woman inwardly and outwardly. She was always immaculately dressed with all coordinating accessories, she took great pride in her appearance and she always taught our daughters to do the same. We enjoyed color coordinating, whatever suit, tie, or shirt I had, she would find a way to match with me with her dresses, shirts, blouses, accessories, etc. It was one of our trademarks as a couple. More importantly, she had a loving, sweet, and gentle spirit and was always an encourager and knew how to build you up when you were at your lowest. She found her calling as an Activity Director in the Convalescent Facility and made a profound impact on the residents, families, and co-workers she came in contact with. She was a prayerful and supportive partner in ministry, I always had confidence that I could get through preaching a message whenever I had her by my side. I could have not asked for a better wife, partner, lover, and friend.

We met on September 25, 1993 at Mount Carmel House of God Saints In Christ Church in Valdosta, GA at a revival service while we were both students at Valdosta State University. I had been preaching only a year and had launched a campus Bible Study. Prior to meeting her, she was attending a prayer meeting at an evangelist’s home and during the time of prayer, this evangelist saw in a vision my wife and I meeting and she admonished her to attend my campus Bible Study and we did not know each other at that time. She was attending a church across town that had a local television ministry on cable. I would watch the broadcast in my dorm room and I saw my wife singing in the choir and the first time I laid eyes on her I said out loud, I’m going to marry that woman! A year and 8 months after meeting her, we did marry. It was one of the happiest days of my life. It appears to me that our marriage was prophetic! We had a great marriage, we went through much adversity with her health, our finances, and the hardships of ministry, but we managed to persevere and it was love that kept us together!

Eulogizing my wife on June 1, 2019, I could not share 26 years of memories in the time allotted but we had some wonderful times, we traveled extensively with my preaching engagements as well as vacation sites. We enjoyed being together

A few amusing things about my wife is that she loved watermelon. Whenever I bought her a watermelon or a few slices out of the grocery store, it was as if I had bought her a diamond ring. Anything I did for her great or small, she showed so much appreciation and made it a big deal even if it wasn’t. She also loved vases, I purchased her vases from all over in all shapes, sizes and colors. Also, she had a fear or rats, even though we didn’t have a rat problem in our home, she didn’t like rats on television, toy rats, or any kind of rat. I could mention the word rat and it would get her flustered lol!

There are many things in life that I have doubts about  but a few things I have no doubt about it. I knew that my wife loved me, loved our daughters, she loved to give and help others even if it was at her own peril and she had great faith and a love for God! I wish she was still here with me and the girls where we could’ve resumed our marriage and family life together with her making a full recovery with her health. But however, as long as the Lord will allow the cords of my memory to lengthen and linger, I will have 26 years of memories with this great woman that I will never forget that the public knows little about. I just wanted to share a few thoughts that my wife changed my life! I am a better man, husband and father because of my wife Tanyala!