My wife is the historian of our relationship. I mean she remembers what we were wearing on certain days when we did certain things, and when and where those things occurred.

She never ceases to amaze me with the minute details she can remember. It is truly astounding.

Sometimes she will put on a pair of shoes and ask if I remember when she wore them. I’m almost afraid to answer the question, but those are the things a woman remembers.

I remember the moment, and I mean the moment I knew my life would never be the same. I don’t remember exactly what time it was, but that moment is burned into my memory and one I doubt will ever fade.

After nearly 20 years apart, Catherine and I reconnected and after many lengthy phone conversations we planned to have our first date. I was living in Columbia, Miss. and she was living about a mile from the Magic Kingdom in Southern California. We planned for her to fly to Mississippi so she could experience Mardi Gras in New Orleans.

The trip was going to last 10 days and that was our first date. It was a gamble to say the least. I had promised her that she could stay at my place and if the chemistry wasn’t right, it would have been a very long 10 days. We got along great over the phone, but you never know in person.

I was running a little late that morning when I arrived to pick her up from the airport, but I saw her waiting for me.

That’s where the moment starts. Her face lit up when she saw me and I remember the way her eyes sparkled in the sunlight. I can see her smile start to broaden as we fell into each others arms. I even stole a kiss.

I knew from that instant my life would never be the same. It has been better than I could have imagined, but certainly not without its trials.

But no matter what happens I can always go back to that moment and realize everything will be all right. I can fall into her arms all over again.

Life has its trials, but I’d do it all over again. Actually, I have done it all over again, several times.