Walking Together
April 28, 2004

If my memory serves me correctly, it was in 1989 that I asked a Navy friend of mine to make a particular artistic creation for me. This would be a gift for my wife, Isaura. This art form is known as marquetry; a process where strips of different colored wood is used as an inlay, usually on furniture. My friend, Dale Klain, a retired Navy senior chief, does marquetry as a hobby. I asked him to make a wall plaque depicting an elderly couple from the back, holding hands, and walking into, what I envision as the final years of their lives together. It visually portrayed my sentiments about my wife, and the years I wished for us to have together. I gave it to her as a birthday gift.

Neither of us thinks of ourselves as being dowdy, nor elderly. Nevertheless, we are both past the half-century mark, with me leading her by four years.

Today I drove over to the base golf course to get in a few holes before the anticipated rain rolled in. Two young Marines, neither of who has reached the quarter-century yet, joined me. On the fourth tee, one of them asked me if I was retired. My initial reaction was to take umbrage at such effrontery! However, I found myself chuckling at such a question, simply because I do not think of myself in that way. Much to his surprise (raised eyebrows and all), I told this young hard-charger that I was still serving, and have been back on active duty for the last year and a half.

Looking back over twenty-eight years of being married to Isaura, it is safe to say that we have certainly been nomadic. In that time, we have made twelve major moves. By definition, a "major move" is when you relocate to another geographic region. We've made numerous moves within the same geographic location, but I'm not counting those.

The irony of all this is that Isaura and I are both homebodies. Yet despite all the moving and uncertainties, particularly with the military, she has never once shirked from the adventure.

During my twenty years in the Navy chaplaincy, I have been required to travel or deploy to many different areas around the world. Often I was not able to take my family with me. During my nine years of active duty early in my Navy chaplain career, I was stationed aboard a supply ship, the USS White Plains. I spent just over twenty-seven months on board as the command chaplain. The ship, stationed in Guam, was gone for twenty of those months. There were times when I missed my wife and daughters so much that I would sit in my stateroom and cry.
So why did I allow myself to be away from those I loved so much? The answer is simple. If I was not absolutely certain that God had called me to military ministry, there is no way on earth that I would have left my family like that. It was also critical that Isaura agree with the call of God on our lives. She would encourage me to continue to serve the Lord, because she believed in what God was doing through us. It's not "my" ministry. It's "our" ministry. We are called by God as a team.

I also had a standing agreement with Isaura and the girls, Laura and Jenny. If at any time they grew tired of the military life, especially with my being gone, all they would have to do would be to say, "Enough!" and I would have resigned.

This recent period of active duty in support of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) I & II, is no different. Isaura believes in my continued ministry to the men and women who wear the uniform of our country.

The kicker in this is the uncertainty associated with war; however, the strength of our marriage has been our faith in Jesus. We know we each belong to him. Nothing is going to happen to either one of us that he does not allow. This frees me up to go wherever I'm needed, and it allows Isaura to let me go.

Chuck and Isaura in 1975

Isaura is also a woman of prayer. She takes everything to Jesus — the big things, the little things, the hurts, the disappointments — everything. She truly believes what the Bible says about not being anxious about anything, but through prayer, she experiences God's peace (Philippians 4:6-7). The added bonus for both of us is the positive attitude this allows us to have, particularly when we are separated, whether it's for a week or six months.

Furthermore, my wife is a beautiful woman, a fact not lost on me when we first met in 1975. What enhances that beauty is that she is a virtuous woman. Not once in twenty-eight years have I had cause to think of her in any other way. Her commitments are to God first, which has a direct affect on her commitment to her marriage and family. Her priorities are in order.

The most wonderful part of it all is — Isaura loves me. Of all the men at San Jose State University who were interested in her at that time, she decided to walk into the future with me. This continues to be a source of wonder to me.

I hope you can see why it is my good fortune to walk with this godly woman, regardless of what life brings our way.

You see, I am blessed.