And it's been a labor of love that has seemed but a few days because of the affection we bear them. They were Thine, but Thou in love didst lend them to us for a little season to care for, to love, and to cherish. This is what he said, "Oh, eternal God, we bring Thee our children, Jimmy and Shirley. My dad prayed always in the King James English, and you're going to notice that. My father performed the ceremony and he ended it with a beautiful prayer. Dobson: Well, we were all so young and deep in love the night that we were married. Well, let's go on and talk about our wedding.ĭr. Shirley Dobson: You know, Jim, my mother understood the rules of " Love Must Be Tough" before you wrote the book. And actually, I finally fell in love with this feisty little miss perfect. Our courtship was punctuated by that kind of intrigue and flirtatious games. She was actually telling her to play it very cool, and I smiled while I read this advice. Her name was Alma, and Alma told Shirley how to handle me and told her not to reveal her feelings too quickly. I figured out what she had done after we started dating and in retaliation, I stole one of her mom's letters out of her purse. Dobson: Shirley was a little rascal at times. Shirley Dobson:Ěnd it was a very interesting reading.ĭr. So I took one of the German girl's letters back to my dorm and I steamed it open. Well, I had to know who she was, and I also was very curious about what Jim was up to. I noticed that this Dobson guy was corresponding with a girl from Germany. And of course, I kept a sharp eye out for who was writing whom. I earned my tuition by putting mail in boxes every day. I did something that was flat out illegal. Now, I'm going to tell you something that may surprise you. He was captain of the tennis team, and I decided right there, I wanted to know more about this six foot, two inch blonde Texan. It looked like they were having so much fun, they were giggling and laughing. I first noticed him buzzing around in his red convertible with a car load of squealing girls inside. Shirley Dobson: Well, let me tell you about Jim. That fourth year, she was also Homecoming Queen, and I was so proud of her. She was voted most outstanding junior girl and then was elected senior-class president. Shirley and I met in college and we went together for three years and it was a storybook romance. Dobson: I hope we won't bore people with our story, but it is fun for us to talk about it, especially on this day. Well, Jim, let's reminisce a little bit about our younger years.ĭr. So the Lord obviously intended for me to hang around for a while. But my cardiologist said my heart is functioning now like that of a young man who hasn't had a heart attack. I had a heart attack in 1990, which was 30 years ago this week. So this is my genetic heritage, and yet here I am. And my grandfather had an early stroke that took him. My grandmother died of it, she had a heart attack at 72. There were five boys in my dad's family and every one of them died when they were relatively young, and all of them from the same cause, coronary artery disease. My dad died at 66 and I never expected to live much longer than that, and here's why. Speaking of longevity, Shirley's family is blessed by it. All I can tell you is that desperate people do desperate things. I found out Jim was a very good cook, but also a very messy one.ĭr. We're even enjoying being sequestered at home during the pandemic. The Lord not only gave us our 50th, but here we are at 60 and we are really blessed. In fact, I prayed years ago that we would reach our 50th wedding anniversary. We are so grateful that the Lord has given us so many years together. Shirley Dobson: Well, I'll say to our listeners that longevity does not run in Jim Dobson's family. Shirley, that was six decades ago and it is amazing to see that we reached a milestone that we never really thought we would see. Exactly 60 years ago tonight, a beautiful young bride and her fiancé stood side by side at the front of a church and pledged their lifelong love for one another. Dobson: Well, let's tell everyone what we're celebrating today. I'm so excited to celebrate this day with you.ĭr. She's with me here in the studio today, and so I say, welcome Shirley. Today is a big day of celebration for Shirley and me. You're listening to Family Talk, which is a division of the James Dobson Family Institute.
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