Out kicking my punt coverage

In celebration of Valentine's Day this week, here is a pretty good love story. It is not your typical love story but a good one, none the less. After meeting Lisa, my friend Derrick Turner said, “Wow, you really outkicked your punt coverage Hibbard”. Please forgive the personal nature of this column folks. I will get back to the news stuff next week. It is more of a story of trusting God. He truly always has your back folks and a plan.

A person should never say never. Seven years ago, if you had asked if I were ever going to remarry, the answer would have been a firm no, not ever. Heck, I had settled into a good life. With so many friends and family my life was good, well-adjusted and a happy one.

I just needed to trust God that it was going to be even better even though I have done nothing in my life to deserve it. In October of 2017, I married my seventh grade sweetheart. We were in school at Heritage Hall and graduated together in 1976. We had known each other for 46 years and through the grace of the Lord, found each other again. It was amazing how close our paths had come to crossing over the last 46 years but for both, the timing of when we fell in love could not have been better. “It’s a God thing”, Lisa says.

Our love story in seventh grade only lasted about a week but we have both tried to remember what being boyfriend and girlfriend in seventh grade involved. We don’t think it was much and frankly, if she had declared her everlasting love to me at 13 years of age, I would have been like the dog that caught the car and not known what to do. For the record, she is the one who broke up with me in seventh grade but she doesn’t remember that part of our relationship.

In a weak attempt to justify her decision in Junior High, Lisa reminded me that I had given another girl in our class a drop but not her. Unless you are of a certain age, you may not know what a drop was at that age. It was the boy’s initials, together at a slant and on a chain. In my defense I did give her friend a drop but it was not until eighth grade when I was much more sophisticated and mature. In my attempt to win her over on Valentine’s Day 46 years later, I gave her my initials on a chain at a slant just so I wouldn’t make the same mistake again. She was thrilled but did want to know if it was the same drop I had gotten her friend. I assured her it was a brand new one.

Let me add that obtaining a drop is not as easy as it was in 1971. As you can guess, the price has gone up. Let me just say they are not the $20 I paid at Zales in Shepard Mall for the first one I purchased. In fact, they don’t make them anymore.

I turned to my friend at BC Clark’s, Lane Roberds who was the manager of the store in Northpark Mall. When I asked him about it his response was, “Wow, I have not heard that term in decades”. Never say die Lane had one made for me. I can promise you that no online company can compete with this kind of service.

Lisa and I were friends all through Heritage Hall and stayed in touch at reunions. I had a crush on her but was afraid of rejection to talk about it. So, here is a lesson for our readers. Take that chance folks. Don’t let opportunities slip away from you. We both feel grateful that God has given us another chance to be together.

We had a special moment provided by Ann Hampton Callaway when she was in town performing at the UCO Jazz Lab a week before the wedding. At our dinner the night before the concert, Ms. Callaway asked Lisa and I how we met. After telling her the story, we added that it was a mystery to us why we had not gotten together much earlier in life but were just grateful that we finally did. “Oh, I have the perfect song for you, and I will add it to the set tomorrow night”, she said.

Ms. Callaway not only sang the song at the UCO Jazz Lab concert but dedicated it to us. It touched our hearts because it is about all the things we have done in our lives that led us to be together. We are hoping she sings it again for us at her upcoming concert in March. The title is On My Way to You. I hope you will read the lyrics below because it applies to so many of us and our journey through life.

On My Way to You

So often as I wait for sleep

I find myself reciting

Check out what’s inside!

---- Senior news........................................................................Pages 6 & 7.

---- Comics......................................................................................Page 8.

---- Business news............................................................................Page 9.

---- Senator Mullin reacts to Biden speech......................................Page 10.

---- Elaine Warner looks at Johnny Bench museum........................Page 11.

---- Police report............................................................................Page 12.

---- Weekend calendar of events....................................................Page 12.

---- George Gust reviews new romantic comedy............................Page 14.

---- Crossword puzzle....................................................................Page 14.

This and so much more in this week’s edition