Pastor's Blog - When the wife's away

Day 1 Gluggy Rice and Lady Calls

Angella left for Jamaica 1pm Wednesday May 17 by bus to Auckland from Tauranga, where we live. Her first flight is to Sydney the next morning at 6am. The publication of this blog is delayed a few days so as not to ruin her SURPRISE visit to Jamaica for a funeral after the sad passing of a dear relative and Christian brother Delroy Hamilton (affectionately known as Deakey). Deakey gave Angella away to me when we were married in 2004.

I am counting down the 26 days already because the first day did not go well!

Mostly, I avoid gluggy rice. Not this time! As typical males do, we try to cook the same meal for several days in advance. Yes, I was largely in unfamiliar territory cooking rice in such vast quantity.  After several attempts at pouring boiling water on the rice to down the glug (a trick Angella taught me) I only succeeded in making things worse. Something must have been wrong with my Burrito packet mix too. It’s never smelt or tasted like this???

Can you believe it? I also get my first video call ever from a stranger on Facebook Messenger on the very first night my wife’s away? I didn’t know the lady, but had accepted her Facebook friend request weeks earlier as we had a mutual church Facebook friend from her country. Almost immediately I dropped the words ‘my wife’ into the conversation (good tip married guys).

Would your wife be jealous I’m calling, she asked. “Yes” I said, without hesitation. Conversation done. Perhaps she was a Christian ‘sister’ just connecting for fellowship, but I better check my Facebook status says ‘married’. I will definitely add ‘very happily married’ if I can. My wife indeed is a wonderful blessing from God to me.

‘Only’ 25 days to go.