Bridgette was my best friend. We had one of those special connections that is rarely found in this world. We really believed we were meant for each other. We shared everything: bank accounts, email accounts, iTunes accounts, everything. I ran every decision by her, big and small. One of my personal goals a few years ago was to be more decisive and not agonize over every little detail and possible outcome. I would always bug Bridgette with those details, but I dont think she really minded it. Bridgette was my best friend. We never really argued. We never stayed mad at each other, and rarely even got mad at one another in the first place. Our marriage was so rock solid that it would have lasted a hundred years without even a chance of breaking up. It seemed that every difficult situation and challenge we had only brought us closer together. Everyone says that every marriage has its ups and downs. Not ours. Our life had ups and downs, but our marriage was always steady. Bridgette was my best friend. We had so much more to do in the second half of our lives. I dont have any regrets. We didnt leave anything unsaid or undone, but there was so much more we wanted to do. We were blessed to experience so much together. I was able to take her to Paris for our 10 year anniversary and to Australia 8 months before that, so weve literally been around the world. But there were so many other places we wanted to visit together. She sat in the rain with me to hear President Obama speak at Morehouses graduation. But there were so many more things we wanted to experience together. We really believed we would grow old together and enjoy our retirement and our grandchildren together. Bridgette was my best friend. She made me a better man. From the little things like cleaning up after myself in the bathroom and leaving the toilet seat down, to big things like being a good role model for our boys and being an equal partner in raising them. Bridgette was my best friend. God put us together. I was very close to going to college in North Carolina, but God led me instead to Atlanta and Morehouse and The Coca-Cola Company, where I found my Georgia peach. Some of you know the story. I first spotted Bridgette within weeks of starting work at Coke, though she wouldnt notice me until much later. We both actually started working there within one week of each other: August 7 and August 14, 1995. I can still remember the first time I saw her with her short, cute haircut and that beautiful face. Probably about a year or two later I found the courage to ask her for her phone number in the cafeteria. She politely declined. She wasnt available at that time. But little did I know that I had made an impression on her. About a year or two after that I received an email invitation to lunch that changed my life. I didnt even think she knew my name. I can still remember that first lunch and making her laugh about how long the grill line was in the Coke cafeteria. Soon after that lunch and our first date, we began having lunch almost every day in the Coke cafeteria, and the rest is history. Bridgette was my best friend. I loved calling her my wife. She told me several times that she loved hearing me refer to her or introduce her as my wife. When we got engaged, I didnt like calling her my fiancé because I was so anxious to call her my wife, and I didnt like the often broken promise of a fiancé. Bridgette was my best friend. The last four years have been tough, but she was so worth the struggle and pain. I wouldnt trade my time with Bridgette for anything in this world. Bridgette was so strong. In the middle of her fight with cancer, she finished school and earned her bachelors degree. I was so proud of her. She did it to give herself more career opportunities, but I know that what really motivated her was the message it would send to our sons. She wanted them to know how important it was to both of us for them to get their college education. She wanted to set an example by doing that herself, so that they wouldnt have any excuses. Bridgette was my best friend. We both felt so blessed to have each other. We were often amazed at how we would be on the same brain wavelength without saying a word to each other. We complemented each other perfectly. I dont know if Ill ever get my balance back. Preston and Elijah, whenever you need anything that you would normally seek from your mother, please believe that I will be able channel how she would provide it for you. I may not deliver it with the same motherly and feminine touch that she would, but I will do my best to honor what she would want for you. Bridgette was my best friend.
Posted on: Sun, 19 Jan 2014 03:38:03 +0000
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