Why Today, January 20th, Is the Most Important Day

No, it's not because of the inauguration.

In 1940, out somewhere in a remote rural section of Giles county, a baby girl entered the world. The snow that had fallen throughout the night was so deep the midwife was almost late, but she got there just in time.

Baby Betty Joyce G was born.

Early on, her family learned she was a sweet little girl but that once she made up her mind she would not be deterred. "We'll see" became her favorite phrase. Somebody would say, "You can't do that," and she would say, "We'll see."

She was something of a Tomboy and played football with the boys and sometimes helped her father change the plugs in the car. She and her older sister Helen rode "Old Bobby" bareback in the pasture, chasing after bad cowboys or renegade Indians.

In her youth and adolescence she touched many, many people with her unbelievable coloratura soprano singing voice. In high school she was recruited into the local college's choir and sang all over the state.

When she sang "O Holy Night," and hit that note on the word "divine," everybody felt it, believed it. And in college when she was asked to sing at the local community clubs (Lions, Rotary, etc.), and sang "Love Is a Many Splendid Thing," or "Indian Love Call," or "Summertime," she frequently did as many as five encores.

In her freshman year in college she met a young green guy from the city who somehow, someway managed to catch her eye. I was that lucky guy.

Throughout her life, she's been tough, a fighter. When she was in her late teens, a doctor told her she might not be able to have children; she said, "We'll see." Our son, Barry, was born in 1961.

When people discouraged her from trying to finish her bachelor's degree while working, she said, "We'll see." After she finished that degree, and was pursuing her M.A.while on leave, they said, "it'll be too much for you since your mother is also very sick." She said, "We'll see." She not only finished the degree but had a 4.00 average in all her graduate work. And, since she lived closer than most of the other siblings, she also took very good care of her mother during her terminal bout with heart disease.

When she designed and implemented a new remedial/developmental program that involved computer instruction for the college where we worked, many faculty members and some administrators said it wouldn't work. She said, "We'll see." You can guess by now how that turned out. Eight years after the program started, it was selected as a Center for Excellence in Tennessee education.

When she fought through cancer and those awful sessions of chemotherapy, some might have said, "She'll lose her hair and her beauty." But by now, most people who know her, know about her drive and spirit. She did lose her hair. But after she did, she put on a nice wig. This pic was taken near the end of her chemo treatments. You can see some fatigue after that ordeal, but the beauty is still there, and if you look close, you'll recognize that "we'll see" attitude and spirit shining through.

Joyce, I'm very glad you were born back there on that cold January day. And I'm very glad you said "yes" and not "we'll see" when I asked you to marry me.

Happy Birthday, Babe.