When I began writing blogs in 2011 I chose the title “Reflections on life in general and on healing in particular.” As I have reflected on my life since then, I realise that 2 great significant events in my life have blessed me enormously. The first was giving my life to the Lord in an encounter with Him on New Year’s Eve 1958. That encounter was life-changing. It gave a meaning and purpose to life that utterly transformed my life. I realised that God loved me and had a purpose in bringing me into the world. I discovered that I had a great joy in studying God’s word [the Bible] and sharing what I learned with others. That eventually took me from my job as an Industrial Chemist in the Queensland Government Railway Laboratory in North Ipswich Railway Workshops to going to Ridley Theological College in Melbourne almost 2000 kilometres away.

I came back to Ipswich during a vacation to visit my parents and to meet up with a beautiful, attractive talented young woman [Carole Tapsell] who had written frequently to me while I was in college. We had been on a few day trips together with other members of the Youth Group I had been leading and it seemed to me that the Lord had brought her into my life for a purpose. It was during this vacation that we had been on a long trip together and had pulled up at a rest area for a break before we arrived back in Ipswich. I have written elsewhere how we began to talk about our futures and for some reason I found myself saying, “What would you say if I asked you to marry me someday?” She replied instantly, “I would say Yes!” It just seemed logical then to say, “Will you marry me?” And how wonderful it was to hear her reply, “Yes, of course I will!” My life was changed forever at that moment. From that moment we were committed to each other for eternity. That was on 22 August 1964 and we married on the 22 January 1966 and lived happily together until the Lord called her home on 31 October 2019.

As I reflect on my life just 12 days short of what would have been our 58th wedding anniversary, I am still amazed how gracious the Lord was in bringing her as a 4 year old child from Kharagpur in India to Australia so that I could meet her, fall in love with her and enjoy almost 54 years of married life together. Carole was a talented athlete, swimmer and field hocker player and a brilliant educator who retired as Senior Head Teacher in TAFE NSW after leading her section of TAFE to being the biggest of its kind in Australia. She was a runner-up in the annual presentation awards of the entire Public Service in NSW. Being married to someone you love is such a great privilege for anyone. Being married to the girl whom I thought was the most attractive and multi-talented female in the world was not just a privilege but a manifestation of the amazing grace of God who gave me more than I could ever have desired or deserved. Though I miss her terribly I know she is in bliss with the Lord.

My reflections on our life together made me want to look at a few photos of Carole at various stages of her life as a reminder to me of God’s amazing grace in bringing into our lives those who show His love to us in our most sacred relationships. I share the 12 photos with you.

Blog No.513 posted on Wednesday 10 January 2024