Response #2 - 5 Questions for Cliff

DC: What was your favorite pre-marriage experience with Lauren?

Cliff: This question was surprisingly difficult to answer.

There was, of course, the time we got a ticket for steaming up the windows in her Buick Skylark after-hours in an Abilene city park. That was an awkward conversation with the police officer: “Miss, are you alright?” “Oh, she’s fine. We were just…” “Excuse me, sir. I’d like the lady to answer.” (I still have the citation somewhere in our memory box.) But, other than that sort of thing, the memories all kinda run together.



I remember lots of joking and laughing. That is much of what attracted me to her at the very first: great smile, beautiful laugh, eyes that danced. I remember trips to Abilene to visit her. I remember a Christmas-time trip to Chicago. I remember a blubbering, incoherent proposal at Columbian Park. I remember two mission trips to Belize. And, I remember being introduced to a whole new world of cuisine, involving funny flavors and funny aromas.

All of these are wonderful, precious memories. But, for the sake of this Q&A, I will focus on one thing from our pre-marriage years. It may not be a “favorite,” but it was very important to me. And, it might be slightly interesting.

While dating Lauren, and spending a lot of time with her folks, I remember meeting a whole new type of people.

First and foremost, I remember meeting her family: great parents, extremely cool brother with very nice hair, wonderful grandparents, charming aunts and uncles and cousins. These folks continue to have a powerful impact on me.

Then, I got to see a number of church members up-close and personal. With Gayle being a minister, I had the opportunity to see him and Lisa ministering to the wounded, and loving the “unlovely.” I got to see fellow Christians who needed spiritual nurturing and guidance.

Finally, I got to see the endless parade of personalities who came through the Crowe Hotel. Friends from all over the world “passing through” the area. Often, these visitors would make special trips just to see the Crowes. “What kind of people are these Crowes that folks come to visit them?” Now, I want to be careful here; I don’t mean any disrespect to my humble upbringing. But, we never hosted visitors. (With four boys, that’s probably a good thing.) While growing up, I had very limited interaction with people who had college degrees, or who had traveled abroad, or people who sat around the house talking about ideas. I remember being 20-years old, listening to these people talk about their trips to Europe, and Israel, and Africa, and China, and discussing their business deals, and writing books.

Wonderful.