It was 50 years ago this month that a mentor-friend said to me casually, "I've met a woman that I think would be a great wife for you."

This was no small comment coming from a man who was older than me, certainly wiser, and far more grounded in his relationship to God. His counsel (and rebukes) had always been trustworthy and valued. So for him to say he'd met a woman, who would make a "great wife" for me, certainly caught my attention!

When I asked for a description of this mystery woman, my friend described someone who seemed a perfect combination. To borrow a famous line from Keith Miller, she sounded like a combination of Mother Teresa, Betty Crocker, and Elizabeth Taylor—a perfect woman.

When he finished his glowing description of this "goddess," I insisted that I must meet her, and soon! I feared that some potential suitor might meet her before I could. In fact, I pressed my friend so hard to schedule an introduction that, finally, to get me off his back, he made a phone call. ...