A LETTER TO MILTON

DEAR MILTON,

It seems like yesterday that you asked me to marry you. We were sitting on Lake Parker. The place was called Sertoma Park. Ser To Ma Park. Service to Mankind. That's how we've lived our lives.


We were students at Southeastern University, enjoying a romantic, pure evening.

I love you so much. I've loved you since I was 19. Thank you for your input into my life. We're a good balance. While you did your thing in church work, you helped me to develop in many areas of my life. You asked me to teach—most age levels. You asked me to be children's director, then youth director, yada, yada, yada. I was timid and unconfident, and those things stretched me and developed me, and I'm thankful for that. You've been a good man, Milton. You've been faithful to me. You've been a good father, a good husband.

I love you. I remember falling in love with you. I never loved another man. You are my one true love.

I'm hoping we can do more writing together. We've done articles together. When we were in our twenties, one day you were praying and felt the Lord impressing you that I would be a writer, and also, that we would write together. At the same time, the Lord was whispering those same things into my heart. We didn't tell each other for several years. One day, we told each other and realized the Lord had spoken to us at the same time. Right after that, the Lord developed me in writing. I got training and learned how to write and soon saw several hundred articles published in magazines and newspapers. Then I went back to college and earned my degree in mass communications/journalism. You and I have written together. One article is entitled "Affair-Proofing Your Marriage."

I want to write with you, Milton. I want to see the novels of my heart published. Four long-length novels are completed. A new novel I'm working on is the one I call the story of my heart, and it's about one-third completed.

We have a future and a hope, Milton, as it says in Jeremiah 29:11. There's a hope here. There's a future, and I see it.


With love, Kristy

MILTON: I've often looked at your hands, Kristy, and I've thought how much I love your hands because they are helping hands. They are hands that reach out to many and help them. They are comforting hands, loving hands, giving hands, hands of mercy, hands of love. I love your hands.

KRISTY: I remember when you said, "I love your hands." I put those lines in a novel ("pre-published" long-length Florida historical novel). The male protagonist says these same lines to the female protagonist because he felt the way you do. You and I have had the most wonderful times, Milton, doing all kinds of things, You were chosen for a denominational position, and we traveled all over, ministering in churches, even the Virgin Islands and British Virgin Islands. We pastored, had a mobile ministry where we spoke in hundreds of churches, were honored many times.

MILTON: The thing that gives me comfort and peace, Kristy, is that we have lived our lives not just for today, but in the light of eternity, in the light of a higher place of understanding. It hasn't been lived for the temporal or immediate, but we've chosen to live our lives for an eternal purpose. One day we're all going to leave this world. Whenever that is, we chose a long time ago to live in a way that would honor Christ so that we would have no regrets. That gives me comfort and peace, that live or die, you are the Lord's, we are the Lord's. I know God's going to honor that.

KRISTY: You say things so eloquently, Milton. You have such an eloquence with words and are a fabulous writer. You have pearls of wisdom, and the eloquence pours out of your fingertips. Your pastor-brothers-in-law say what a great writer you are. You have a gift, and I want you to do something more with it.

OUR PASTOR FRIEND Steve in Clearwater jokingly said, when learning of my brain cancer: "Milton, you're going to be in trouble when they get Kristy's brain fixed. She's going to be able to think more clearly, and she's going to have you all figured out. And then what are you going to do." We got a good laugh.

THANK YOU, READERS for your prayers. God is using my unusual journey: peace in the midst of storm. Hearts have been touched and healed. Email, snail mail, cards, calls—every kind of communication—are all evidence. The hits at this site astound us. God is doing something…excellent!

MILTON: In our marriage as in any marriage, there are things we've had to work through. But those have been small in relationship to the many years of fruitful and blessed living.

KRISTY: It's important to sit down and work through your differences, whatever relationship it is, marriage, parents, family, friendship,work colleagues. In our marriage, we have to sit down and work them out. The Bible says, "Come now, let us reason together," and I know this isn't in context, but it's a powerful truth nevertheless. We have reasoned them out. We've laid everything on the table. Sometimes we have to agree to disagree, but underlying it all is the bedrock love and respect. That's what we've had in our marriage.

ADVICE FROM A 50-YEAR-MARRIED COUPLE A parishioner and his wife celebrated their 50th anniversary. Milton asked them to stand then asked them, "What is the secret of longevity in marriage?" "Compromise," he said quickly, and she agreed. "It's all about compromise and respect for each other and their opinions.." That is so true.

MILTON JUST PUT HIS HAND on my cheek. "You've always been there for me, and I'm going to be there for you. You're going to come through this, Sweetheart. You're very precious to me, very sweet."

"What is your highest dream?" he asks, "and what can I do to help turn it into reality?"

"I don't know, Milton," I said. "You ask such deep philosophical questions. I want to see my writings published. I want to see a lot of souls saved through our church. I want our lives to count for Christ."

"What do you want to see, Milton?" I ask him.

"I want to see you whole and well and blessed. I want you to fulfill your life destiny."