This is by far one of my favorite bible verses! I love this verse because it speaks for how I truly feel about my boo! Let me tell you the story. . .I moved to Atlanta, Georgia from Jacksonville, Florida five years after finishing the school on the “highest of seven hills”, Florida A& M University. My Jacksonville roommate wanted me to take a challenge with her and move to the big city of Atlanta. I was very nervous at first because I come from a REALLY small town, Waycross, Georgia. I told my roommate no at first, but after about a year, I relented, and we decided to take the challenge and move to “The A.” Looking back, I now know that it was the best decision that I have ever made, and it was exactly what God had in his plan for me.
I moved to Atlanta in 1998 and started working at Capitol View Elementary School. I immediately joined Zion Hill Baptist Church and started doing what I love by serving and singing in the adult choir. During my first year at Capitol View, I met a guy who tried to show me the ropes during new teacher orientation. He was a 5th grade teacher and was super handsome, kind, and so respectful to me. I could go to him for anything that I needed for my class. He truly showed me what was expected while working as a teacher in APS.
After about a year, I started going out on Fridays after work with some of the “school friends” from the school. Of course, THIS guy was one of those school friends that was always with the crew. We had so much fun on Friday nights going to “Sidelines” sports bar in Marietta to eat wings and talk about the life of a teacher and other topics that were pressing on young teachers during that time. After several Friday night Sideline hang outs, this special guy decided to ask me on a date. Hmmm, I was not sure about dating someone that I worked with every day, but I took the chance and accepted. That date was the start of something fabulous! We went on a few other dates, and he finally asked me to be his “girl”. I accepted and we dated “in secret” because we didn’t want our business exposed on our job. I played it cool during our dating days as we kept everything “professional” while at work. He would stop by my 2nd grade classroom to wink his eye as he was on his way to take his 5th grade students to lunch. I would giggle and my students would always ask, “Why are you giggling so hard Ms. Jordan (my name then)?” I had to tell a little “white lie” about why I was giggling! God spoke to me during this time to tell me that my waiting had not been in vain. He spoke to me to say that he SAVED “this guy” and he was the one HE had chosen JUST FOR ME! I’m so glad I waited on GOD to answer my prayer about sending me who HE knew would be the perfect match for me! I praise God daily for answering my prayers!
After 3 years of dating, he finally decided to make it official! Of course, he had to make a trip down to my hometown to talk to my father and my Uncle Chris Jordan (RIP) who made sure all of my “boyfriends” were checked out thoroughly over my entire life! My dad and Uncle Chris would always go through 1,000 questions with these guys and scare them up (yes, they ran a few away too)! This “special guy” received approval from my dad and Uncle Chris and he proposed to me on New Year’s Eve. We prayed together and then I cried tears of joy for an hour! After the proposal, we decided that since we worked together, we would not tell anyone until the last minute. I didn’t wear my ring to school each day, but immediately put it on when I got home, and I wore it on the weekend.
Over Spring break, my fiancé and I decided to travel to Orlando for a mini vacation. Of course, I wore my engagement ring with pride that week because we were out of town and no one would see us, right? That’s what I thought! But while at the theme park in Orlando, who did we run into? A co-worker who ran up to us to say hello. She immediately noticed my engagement ring and started smiling. This was a secret she would probably not be able to keep. She hugged us and asked us “How in the world have you kept this from us at school, friend?”. Well, you know what that meant. We had to share the news not long after we went back to school after the holidays because she wouldn’t be able to keep that secret.
We returned to school after Spring Break and Trennis decided to tell our boss and admin team first before telling the entire staff. Everyone was elated and very surprised that we had been able to keep this relationship a secret from them this long. We invited our school friends to the wedding down in South Georgia and even selected a few of them to be in the ceremony. They traveled down to my hometown that I told them about many times. They happily traveled to Waycross and made a point to visit the Okefenokee Swamp, our biggest tourist attraction, while being there for our wedding weekend! And what a wonderful weekend it was as my husband, and I exchanged wedding vows in front of our family and friends.
Now that we are almost at the 18th year mark of our marriage, with different jobs and two kids (now teens), I have reflected and realized that I have enjoyed every single moment of time with “The One Whom My Soul Loveth.” Yes, we have been through a lot, (disagreements, differing expectations, illnesses, brain tumor surgery, diabetes, family deaths, etc) but as a couple, we have always made a point to stay prayed up, to talk amongst ourselves and to always have each other’s back no matter what. We work hard to keep our family close and prayed up, actively engage in couple’s bible study, have daily family time/ bible study with our girls, and continuously attend and work on the Heart of Marriage Retreat committee (a MUST ATTEND for all couples).
Trennis Harvey is the most loyal, respectful, and loving husband in the world. I thank him daily for continuously having my back and being a great communicator. He always considers me and asks my opinion before making decisions and respects my comments before he makes the final call. I love the fact that he is always there when I need him, even if he must change his plans last minute just to come to my rescue. I thank God every single day for placing this man in my path and for showing me that Trennis Harvey was THE ONE! I have TRULY “found him whom my soul loveth”, Song of Solomon 3:4. This is the verse that I chose to use at our wedding because it truly exemplified what he means to me then and now!
Tiffany Jordan Harvey Atlanta, GA