A SILVER WEDDING ANNIVERSARY STORY
as told by Steve Pegram in honor of his beloved wife of 25-years

Well, here it is July 2, 2008, and I am about to celebrate my twenty-fifth wedding anniversary with the love of my life, one Kathy Teresa Brackett Pegram, who I have fallen more in love with than I ever dreamed was humanly possible. But wait! I'm getting ahead of myself. I can't tell you any of this yet! Because there is no way you can understand any of my present, without first understanding my past. For unless you understand what got me here, there is no way you or anyone else can ever understand the depths of emotion that I need to share now. So step back in time with me if you will. Go back to a day when life was simpler and where it seemed that everything was less complicated than it is today. The year? 1962. Where? Asheboro, North Carolina.

So, let's see.....Where do I begin? Oh yes! The beginning of course! I was born and raised in a Church Of God layman's home. And while my dad might not have been the Pastor, he was one of the most powerful and influential members in our local Church Of God. When he stood up to testify every once in awhile, you always knew that something was going to happen. Usually that something was the Holy Spirit erupting within our church like a tornado! I cannot even remember a single time where when dad was through "testifying" that the whole church was not up on their feet dancing in the Spirit, running the aisles, and shouting all over the place. Oh yea, this was Church Of God! And although we weren't a quote-unquote "ministers" home, we still lived like it. Holiness was the rule to live by. Why back in those days, to the best of my knowledge, everything was a sin. And although we were Church Of God by membership and Church Of God in belief and practice, we somehow just never got into all of the other Church Of God things.

As a matter of fact, although the Church of God had been all I had ever known since I came into this world, my family was not very big into supporting the denomination with the likes of going to their annual Campmeeting or other large gatherings. I had though been to several Church Of God Youth Camps as a kid, but just not to any Campmeetings. But, once I turned sixteen and had my driver's license, I soon found myself always chasing after fellow Church Of God young people. Wherever they would have a youth meeting of any sort, I was there. Wherever they would have a large state youth rally, I was there. It didn't matter how far I had to drive, or how long it took to get there, I would just go. I even started visiting other Church Of God churches all around my local area on Sunday nights visiting each of them in search of other Church Of God young people. Well, it the truth be known, it was just Church Of God "females" that I most liked to chase. ;) And each year I would take a week of vacation time and stay in a local hotel just about a mile outside of the campgrounds where they would always hold the annual Campmeeting. The reason for my being there? Hmmm, good question! Was it to get closer to God? Nope, don't think that was it. Was it to get in touch with my inner self and develop a life-long passionate pursuit of the ways of God? Nope, don't think that was it either. Was it because I somehow knew that I would one day be a preacher? Nope! None of that! But rather, the answer was way simpler - I was there to meet girls!

Yep. I know. Not very spiritual huh? Well, it wasn't. But I was a young man on a mission and that was to find me a good Church Of God girl to date. I mean, anyone could find and date the "sinner" girls. But they weren't what I was searching for. I didn't even realize it at the time, but already there was something being developed within me that told me that dating the wild sinner girls was not as fulfilling as dating someone who had morals and principals and who believed in something more than just the physical. Of course, back then I never would have probably seen that if it were shown to me through a crystal glass and a map was drawn towards it with neon green markers! I was just a teenage boy, clueless about the things of life, and just as about as clueless when it came to women.

But then something very strange happened. I had a run in with destiny. Now, I would love to sit here and tell you that I knew it was coming and that I was in some sort of mode of super-duper spiritual enlightenment, but I wasn't. As a matter of fact, I was about as dumb as dirt and even when it hit me full face first, I still didn't understand the breadth, depth and scope of the magnitude of what had just happened to me. Well, instead of me just rambling on like this, let me take you back to that wonderful day when I, Steve Pegram, came face to face with destiny.

The day of the week was Thursday, and the date was July 2, 1981. When I woke up that morning in my hotel room there wasn't anything special that happened. I mean, the angels didn't sing, and Gabriel didn't play his harp for me so I would know what kind of a day it was going to be. To me, it was to be a day like any other, or so I thought! As I mentioned already, it was the annual Church Of God Campmeeting in Charlotte, North Carolina. I had already been there since Monday of that week, and with each passing night I applied my trade of girl chasing. Night after night passed with me meeting a different girl each night. The previous night before, that Wednesday, I had meet a girl after church that really got my attention. We hit it right off and I was supposed to meet her back at the campgrounds that Thursday night for a date. But, like I said, this day wasn't going to turn out to be just any day. No sir! God saw to that!

I ended up getting to Campmeeting late that night for some reason. And to this day, I still don't remember what it was that made me late. But late I was indeed. And upon arriving late, I did not have much time before service was to begin in order to find this young lady that I had met the previous night. As I looked across the tabernacle, I couldn't find her anywhere. I walked back and forth, looking everywhere, but still I could not find her. Well, as I was walking around looking for her, I lost track of what time it was. And before I knew it, it was time for the service to begin! So as the music begin to play, I begin to look for a seat. But as I looked across the aisles in search for a seat, I was soon to find that almost all of the seats in the tabernacle were already taken. For you see, back in those days, the annual Campmeeting would be packed out night after night with hardly an empty space anywhere. But as I looked for a seat, all of a sudden I spied a seat on the end of an aisle right beside three young ladies. And as I walked up to them, what was to happen next can only be described as one of those times were you just had to have been there to understand just how powerful and profound it was. And looking back on it now, I have to be honest with you, I sure would not have believed what was about to happen if everyone had told me in advance, signed a written statement, had it notarized and duly authorized by the Supreme Court!

For sitting in the seat next to that empty seat I was hoping to get in, was one of the most captivating young ladies I had ever met in my entire life of a whopping nineteen-years at that time on this planet! And remember, up until this point in my life, I thought I knew so much! I was a man on a mission. I knew it all. Or, so I thought I did. But I was soon to find out that I didn't know nowhere near as much as I thought I did. For I was about to be taught a lesson that would change my life forever. A lesson that would teach me that what God has planned for you, and has destined for you, is more powerful and more awesome than anything that we can come up with in our own minds in a million, billion years!!! Any way, back to my story.....

Like I said, sitting in the seat next to that empty seat I was hoping to get in, was one of the most captivating young ladies I had ever met in my entire life. Immediately upon gazing upon this vision of loveliness, I knew within my heart that she would be my quote-unquote "Thursday night trophy". After all, I had already met a girl on Monday night and took her out, and met a girl on Tuesday and took her out. And had met that girl on Wednesday night that I was "supposed" to take out on this particular night. And since I couldn't find that one girl, I sure wasn't going to let Thursday pass me by without meeting and taking out another girl. Especially one who was as lovely as this young lady was! So quickly I moved in upon the unsuspecting prey.

Not wanting to draw attention to myself too much, as it pertained to me wanting to meet and take out this vision of loveliness, I immediately began doing the smart thing - talking to all three of the young ladies who sat there. After all, since it looked like they were all together, it would not do my cause any good if I totally ignored the other two, for all that would do would be cause trouble later on down the line. So as I conversed with all three rather quickly, like I said earlier, Campmeeting was getting started up with the band playing and some initial singers beginning to sing. So I had to make my move fast! I turned to the young lady and said, "I know that this is rather sudden, but I do not have anywhere else to sit, and since Campmeeting is already started, it would be tough for me to go find another sit. So, may I sit here next to you?"

You know, its funny how that when you ask a question like that, you can do it under normal circumstances and everything seems just fine. And asking it and receiving an answer usually takes just a normal amount of time. But! When you ask a question like that under times of extreme pressure, or excitement, or anticipation, it seems like it is an eternity before an answer comes. And this was definitely one of those times. I had asked the question and now I was waiting for the answer. Would I be received openly into this pack of three wild women? Would they shun me as a group? Would the one that I wanted to sit beside stand up for me and invite me in? So as I stood there for what seemed like an eternity, waiting for the answer, suddenly it came! "Yes. You can sit here." Whoa! There it was! Yes! Wow! Wow! Wow! How long had I been standing here waiting? Then all of sudden, time snapped back into place once again and as I came to myself out of this state of frozen time, I looked at my watch as I sat down and discovered that only a matter of a few seconds had passed by! Oh yea. This wasn't going to be any normal night. Oh no. This was to be a night like no other.

As I sat down beside her, I tried during the course of the service to get to know this vision of loveliness and stunning beauty. Slowly, bit by bit, I shared with her small things here and there at first. Words were my weapon of choice for this hunt, not gun and spear. For I was not hunting wild game here, so words would have to make do. But like I said earlier, just whenever you think you know everything, you find out that you know nothing! For I was soon to discover that it was not "I" that was hunting her, but rather it was God and her that was hunting me!!! For what I did not know was that this young lady I was sitting beside was one of the most devote, on-fire Christians I would ever meet in my life. And she had been praying for years for God to send to her the man that God wanted for her life and not what she wanted. So imagine my surprise as I sat down in that seat that night, thinking that I was the one in control. Only to find out that I was so out of control, that I was dangerous! LOL! As a matter of fact, I was just a puppet on the string of God as He led me to my soul mate, and led her to her soul mate as well. Yep. God sure wasn't going to let this be just any regular day for me, that's for sure!

Any way, back to our story.....As the night progressed and as the service seemed to fly by me like a hazy backdrop to something way grander, I was amazed at how the longer I sat beside this stunning young lady, the closer I felt to her. It wasn't very long before I had discovered that her name was Kathy Brackett and that she lived in a small town about 30 minutes north of the campgrounds called Mooresville. What? Thirty minutes north of the campgrounds? Why that was still one and one-half hours away from where I lived at that time in Asheboro. How in this world had I met this woman who lived one and one-half hours away from me, and on top of that lived thirty-minutes away from the campgrounds where we were? Do you know the odds in that happening? Astronomical odds, that's what! Why if I had never decided to come to this Campmeeting in the first place, I probably would have never met her. This was crazy! I didn't even know her before I had sat down in this chair. But somehow, some way, something was happening in the spirit realm that I had no clue about.

Then it happened. Don't ask me how it did, because I don't know. Don't ask me why it did, because I don't know. But somehow, some way, as I sat there smack dab in the middle of a Church Of God Campmeeting in Charlotte, North Carolina on July 2, 1981, I looked down at my hands and I was holding hers and she was holding mine!!! It was as if an angel had picked up both our hands and placed them into each other. It was one of the most surreal experiences of my entire existence upon this planet at that time that's for sure! And just in case you are reading this story and do not completely understand what the meaning of surreal is, here is the definition - "Having an oddly dreamlike quality." And that was the way it seemed, like a dream. I was there. She was there. We had just met for the first time only a few moments ago. But here we were holding hands after only sitting beside each other for just over an hour! Like I said previously, this was not to be any ordinary day at all. Oh no, not by a long shot!

Continuing on now, after the service concluded, and after holding the hand of this young lady named Kathy Brackett, I was sure that I had a date for this night. But, no. It wasn't to be! She had rode to Campmeeting with her family and friends and couldn't go out with me! I was floored! I went back to my hotel room that night absolutely stunned, shocked and a million of other adjectives I could use as well. But I made up my mind, I would find this Kathy Brackett again the next night and I would take her out on a date for sure this time! So, the next night came, Friday, and sure enough I found her and sure enough we sat together again. And sure enough we held hands once again and talked some more. Then, almost as fast as the service had started, it ended. And instead of going out with me on a date, she went back home with her family again!!! What in this world was going on here? Okay, this is crazy! I will take her out on a date tomorrow night after the Saturday service concluded. So the Saturday night service came and we sat together once again. But this time, after the service was over, she didn't leave immediately and go home with her family. Because the Saturday night services always started earlier that the rest of the week, they also always concluded earlier as well. So instead of having to leave and go home immediately, this time she had some time to walk with me around the tabernacle.

As we walked around that tabernacle that night, it seemed as if I was walking on clouds. I was feeling more happiness than I had ever known in my life, and it was thrilling. Of course, I had no idea what I was actually feeling, or what was actually going on, but still, it was awesome. As we held hands and walked around and around that place, I soon discovered that although this young lady liked me and trusted me, it might not be so for some of her family. As we walked around the tabernacle I began to notice that there was this young lady who was following us everywhere we went. At that time I did not know Kathy's family well enough yet to immediately pick up on being followed, but eventually I did and it was her cousin keeping an eye on us. I guess she was going to protect her cousin from this strange young man who had swept her favorite cousin off her feet. At the time of course, I didn't appreciate being followed around like that. But now, looking back on it all, I have to admit I don't blame her one little bit! After all, she didn't know anything about me. And she sure couldn't understand why her cousin, Kathy, was holding hands with a complete stranger the first night she met him and now was walking around by herself with him! But still, back then, like I said, I didn't understand her enthusiasm and I wanted to be alone with this awesome lady Kathy. So I did what any red-blooded young American male would do in that situation. I asked Kathy to walk with me out to where my truck was parked because I had a brand new cassette tape that I wanted her to listen to. LOL!

Finally, we lost her cousin and made our way out to my pickup truck. As we sat down in it I pulled out the cassette and popped it in the deck. Little was I to know that the song that would start playing at that very moment would soon become the theme song for our entire marriage later on in the future, and then also for our entire lives. The song? Oh yes, it was "Feels So Right" by the country music group Alabama. And as that song began to play, and as we began to talk more in depth and get to know each other a little better, all of a sudden another one of those surreal moments happened, almost exactly like what had happened the very first night I had met Kathy. You remember that don't you? It was when we both looked down and we were holding hands after only sitting beside each other for only one hour. And here it was again. But this time it was a kiss. Our first kiss. And no, it wasn't anything filthy, or dirty, or sinful. After all, we were on the Church Of God campgrounds for goodness sake!!! LOL! But rather, it was to be one of the most spiritual experiences of my life. And I only say that because it was. For what I did not know at the time, was that we were sealing our destinies together with that first kiss. All of Kathy's prayers for her perfect soul mate were coming true in an instant. And me, clueless dumb me, well, I too was being sealed by God with a seal of such perfect peace and unity that words cannot even begin to describe. Too bad I didn't know it at the time. Hahahaha!!!

Any way, after that one simple kiss, we finished listening to the song and then we walked back to the tabernacle. Kathy then proceeded to get in the car with her family and drive off into the sunset, leaving me standing there once again without having a date with this young lady! But this time, I had an advantage! This time I had gotten her phone number. Yeeaaaa me!!! LOL! So I called her and we talked and talked and talked between that Saturday night and the next night's service, which was the final service of the entire Campmeeting. And we agreed that on that night she would allow me the privilege of taking her out on a date and then driving her home. So the final night's service came and sure enough we sat together one more time, and we held hands one more time, and when the service ended, this time I had my date! It wasn't anything fancy. Just a simple shared meal at a local restaurant where, if my memory serves me correctly, we shared everything we ate that night. And sure enough I drove her home, kissed her goodnight and then started the one and one-half hour drive back home to Asheboro, where I thought of her every single minute from that moment on!

Now, here it is, twenty-seven years later since the night I met her, and exactly twenty-five years later since we were married. For you see, it seemed only fitting that since we had met on July 2, 1981, that we should be married exactly two-years to the day on July 2, 1983. Has it all been easy? No, not by a long shot! For although it was God who put us together and it was God that had ordained that we be soul mates for all of eternity, that did not mean that we would know everything to do in order to make things perfect. I have messed up so many times since then. I have caused pain in Kathy's life and I have missed the mark many times when I should have known better. But you know what? I found out something very interesting. I found out that the same God, who had ordained us to be together, was going to be the same God that would keep us together! Many times He has had to fight for us. Many times He has had to go to battle to save us from our own selves it seems. But never, ever did He give up on His plans for us. There have been times that I might have given up and there may have been times where Kathy has given up, but never ever God! To think about it now beggars description. To think of how the God who created the universes and created all that is and ever shall be, took a personal interest in two souls here on this earth like He did is mind blowing!

For I confess to you right here, right now, that I know I have not deserved the blessings of God that He has bestowed upon our lives. And I know that by all rights I should be a castaway due to my immaturity and selfishness through the years. But for some reason, here I still stand. And, here "we" still stand! Bleeding? Yes. Bruised, battered and beat up? Yes. But still here we stand after twenty-five awesome years! Has everything always been perfect? No way! Not on your life. There have been times where it seemed that we would drown in a sea of troubled waters, but each and every time, the same God who planned our destiny, saved our destiny! So, here I sit after twenty-five years of marriage to the most amazing woman this world has ever been privileged to know upon its surface. But I sit here with the full knowledge that I deserve nothing, and do not have the right to ask God for anything further as well. I have spent the last seven-years of my life suffering with dozens of diseases, ailments, and infirmities. I have lost my ministry due to my health failing me. I have lost all the prestige I once knew as a minister of the Gospel. I have lost almost everything that I ever used to count as near and dear to my heart. But as I sit here typing this 25^th Anniversary letter as a testimony to God's faithfulness, there is one thing I can say with assurance - I have never lost the love of my God and the love of my wife Kathy. If I were to be truthful with myself though, I would have to say that I certainly do not deserve either of their love. For I have blown that many times over. But for some reason, reasons of which I may never understand until I get to heaven, they both have stuck by my side. Almost everyone else I ever have known in both my personal life and in ministry have all left me, but not these two! No, not these two. And that is why I chose to type this anniversary letter like this. Because when you are loved like that, it deserves mentioning to others so that others may know that there still is true love in this world of ours. It might not be neat, clean love. It might be messy and sometimes it might be hard. But it is real. And after all, isn't that worth fighting for?

As I close this letter, looking back on it all now, it seems that I have been in love with Kathy since the day I was born. From my very first breath, she was there with me in my heart. For you see, Love is an eternal thing not bound by earth years or by time or space in any regards. But Love is a spiritual thing that is birthed in the heart of God and then released into the bosoms of those who are blessed enough to know its mighty force! It's life changing, life altering stuff that will take your breath away when you look that first time into the eyes of the one that God Almighty Himself has chosen to be your soul-mate here upon this earth. And whether I knew it or not at the time, when I was born, I was born not just for a destiny for myself, but rather I was born for a destiny that would include the most amazing, wonderful, awe inspired woman that God has ever released upon this natural plain of existence - Kathy! And oh how thankful I am that the Creator of all things both spiritual and natural chose for me such a blessed gift! Thank You God! For 25 years of marriage here upon this earthly plain of existence is but the beginning of a myriad of years that neither time nor space as we know it could ever measure!

Happy Anniversary God! Happy Anniversary Kathy! We did it! 25-Years! Wow! It has been some ride hasn't it? I look forward now to the next twenty-five years too. I don't know what they will bring, but still I look forward to them. Because I wouldn't want to share them with anyone else other than you! And besides, I know that no matter what, it will always.....Feel So Right!