Participants:
Series Code: LTBW
Program Code: LTBW000006A
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00:35 Hi, I'm Dr. Kim and welcome to "Live to Be Well"
00:38 Sometimes in life, we have unexpected turns. 00:42 We don't know when and where they will happen or come from. 00:46 Today, my special guest, "Ennis Woods" 00:49 unexpected turn - divorce. 00:52 Welcome Ennis, how are you? 00:54 I'm doing well, thank you. 00:55 Well listen, a lot has been going on in your life, 00:57 I've been a part of it and I wanted you to come on and 01:01 tell and share how you have learned to deal with what has 01:06 happened in your life and becoming a single father. 01:09 You were married, very happy, everything was going well, 01:14 and then one day - your wife comes to you and says... 01:17 "I can't do this." Let's talk about it. 01:21 It was about February, 2015, 01:24 it was right around Valentine's Day... 01:27 She had told me that she was seeing an attorney, 01:30 and she decided she wanted to end the marriage, 01:33 and we talked about it and hoped and I was hoping 01:35 this was just a bad dream, but it wasn't so I waited, 01:38 waited, waited and then finally I realized she was serious, 01:41 so I had to get an attorney and October 2015, 01:47 the marriage ended. 01:49 How many years had you been married? 01:50 We had been married 22 years. 01:52 Wow, and how many children? 01:54 I have six children. Six children. Yes 01:57 The adjustment when the children found out, you know, 02:01 how did you tell your children? 02:02 Well I don't think it was so much the actual divorce 02:05 that bothered them... it was just the fact 02:07 of the separation between us because she had moved out, 02:10 and that was where the kids had the problem with that. 02:14 The divorce was just a legal formality for them. 02:17 They didn't really understand that part. 02:19 How soon after the marriage ended - did she move out? 02:24 Well, she actually moved out almost a year before that. 02:28 Is that right? Yes. 02:29 Oh, let's go back to that! Okay. 02:32 So, she moved out a year beforehand and she was still 02:36 here within the Michigan area? 02:39 Right, she moved out 2014, April and then she waited 02:47 maybe almost a year before she decided she was... 02:50 Maybe she had already decided, but that's when she decided 02:53 she was going to file the papers. 02:54 Well did you all try to date and communicate 02:58 or she just wasn't open to it? She wasn't open to it. 03:00 I asked her about it, I said, "Let's pray, let's date, 03:03 let's start over, let's talk about it," and her mind 03:08 seemed to be pretty much made up. 03:10 Ennis, some people would say, "What did you do, 03:13 why did you let this happen," do you blame yourself, 03:17 and how did the marriage come to such an end? 03:21 Well I heard that quite often because of the fact that she 03:24 left the children - the minor children - people tend to 03:28 think that he must have did something really bad, 03:31 but it was a decision she had made, 03:33 and it was all a puzzle to me. 03:37 Women, you know, you hear men leaving the home, 03:40 but a woman just to leave her husband and six children 03:44 and just walk away, I mean, and does... I mean, 03:48 did it... does... I mean, I can't even think of a word 03:52 how you must have felt, and did you cry at night? 03:55 Did you cry out to the Lord? What was going on in your mind? 03:58 Well every day was almost like a nightmare; 04:01 when you're going to work, coming home. 04:03 You're thinking, "Well this has got to be a nightmare, 04:08 maybe I'm in a coma or something," but it was just 04:12 beyond anything I could imagine. 04:13 It was hard for me to accept it. 04:16 It was almost like every day I'm waiting this is gonna end, 04:19 tomorrow is gonna be a new day, she'll be back. 04:21 You had that false hope or did you have faith? 04:24 Well I thought it was real hope. 04:27 But I prayed about it all the time and talked about it, 04:31 I let her know where my feelings were, 04:33 what I was willing to do to try to save this, 04:36 but it was to no avail. 04:38 Did she ever tell you why? 04:41 Well throughout the time, she had a variety of reasons. 04:45 At one time, she said she didn't think I loved her, 04:48 and there were things that she wanted to do that 04:51 she didn't think... and there were things she wanted me to do 04:54 that I didn't do, supposedly. 04:57 And I think she just wanted to 04:59 move on with her life in a different direction. 05:01 Was there any infidelity on your part? 05:03 No. None at all? No. 05:05 Never any other women? No. 05:07 No issues gambling? No, no gambling, no drugs, 05:11 no fighting - any of that. 05:12 You know, because of the fact that I was a little older 05:15 than her, you know, I knew a lot of people. Yes 05:17 And because they knew me well and they never knew her, 05:20 and they hadn't seen her before, because she moved here from 05:23 a different state - I don't know if she had a problem 05:28 dealing with that, but I personally just think 05:33 she just wanted to go a different direction. 05:36 Did you both have premarital counseling before you were 05:39 married and making decisions even before dating? 05:43 Yeah, we talked with our pastor of our church, 05:46 and he had a good conversation with us. 05:49 And there was a lot of people that I knew that were married. 05:53 My mother and father were married 60 years, 13 children, 05:58 so I understood marriage and life. 06:01 She came from a good family background herself. 06:06 So, like I said, this was all puzzling to me. 06:09 I just looked at it as maybe just a trial in my life 06:12 that I'm going through. 06:14 Do you want her back? 06:15 Do you want her to come back? 06:17 I do because I personally believe God wants marriages 06:22 to work, just like in the Bible, He talks about... 06:25 "It's His desire that no one perish, but they do." 06:28 I think the same way with marriage - I don't think it's 06:30 a desire that marriages fall apart. 06:33 And so I constantly pray that His will is done; 06:37 I believe that's His will. 06:38 That doesn't necessarily mean it's gonna happen. 06:41 You ask God - do you pray for God to change her heart? 06:44 I ask God to speak to her heart because if you don't want a 06:48 person to come back if they don't love you, 06:50 so I pray that God speak to her and maybe when He speaks to her, 06:55 and says how He loves us and how He treats us, 06:58 and merciful towards us, maybe she'll see then. 07:01 Did she ever say to you, "I don't love you anymore?" 07:04 Well, after the divorce, she would say that. 07:08 She didn't feel that she loved the way a wife should love. 07:15 So now, you have physical custody of your children. 07:18 You have sons and daughters and being a single father, 07:22 can you tell us what is it like in the adjustment 07:25 of being a single parent. 07:28 Well the three older are adults. Okay. 07:32 The three younger ones are minors. 07:35 It's been a learning experience. 07:36 It's been an adjustment, but it's been fun. 07:39 I think the main thing is when you love, 07:41 you don't see it as work, you just see it as something 07:44 you have to do - I can't quit doing what I'm doing 07:47 because of what happened to me. 07:49 So I try not to let them see much of a difference. 07:53 So, you know, when you are in the household, 07:57 and you're cooking and cleaning and doing all these things... 08:00 Did you do that when your wife was in the home? 08:02 I did a little - not as much as I do now. 08:05 I mean, I learned how to cook. 08:07 You know, it's different when you have to get up 08:09 in the morning, get the kids up, see that they're dressed, 08:12 got their lunch - come home, do their homework. 08:14 And then I'm really big on believing letting the kids 08:17 be kids. Hm, what do you mean? 08:19 Letting them have a childhood, not putting all that 08:23 responsibility on them. 08:24 You know, I give them chores and duties, 08:25 but it's important for me to let them have their childhood. 08:29 I see... Do you give them allowances? 08:30 I just give them money, I don't call it "allowance," 08:34 I just give it to them as they need it. 08:36 Alright, so you're a very lenient parent, 08:38 and a very loving parent. I believe I am. 08:40 Are you more so because of what they've been through 08:43 with their mother? 08:45 No, I think it's just the love, 08:46 I guess I've got a soft spot for kids, you know. 08:48 Like I said, coming from a large family, 08:51 I understand how important it is to have the stability 08:54 and love in a family. 08:56 Thirteen siblings! Yes. 08:58 Did you always want lots of children? 09:02 Not really, but, you know, it happened. 09:05 I really believe when the Bible says, "Children are 09:07 a gift from the Lord." Yes 09:09 So it doesn't say how it happens or when it happens, 09:11 He says it's a gift, so I'm looking at them as a gift 09:14 from God - so that we treat it right. 09:15 Oh, I see - I like that. Alright 09:18 Did you have a close relationship with your parents, 09:20 and your siblings? 09:21 Yes, we were very close, we were all a close family. 09:24 My dad passed 10-12 years ago. 09:27 My mother, she's still alive, she is 91. 09:29 As-a-matter-of-fact, her birthday is in a couple of days. 09:31 Ninety-one! Yes. 09:33 Aw, are you all having a wonderful celebration for her? 09:36 Yes, we're looking forward to that. 09:37 Isn't that a blessing. Now you're a twin. 09:39 I have an identical twin, Dennis. 09:41 Yes, I've met Dennis and it's really hard to tell 09:44 you all apart, did they put you all in separate classrooms? 09:48 We were in the same class from kindergarten until about 09:51 the fifth grade and the teachers got so mad because they 09:54 kept getting us mixed up, so they separated us 09:57 and we were never in the same class again. Never again 09:59 But you are very close with him. Yes 10:02 How did he handle you going through your divorce. 10:05 What kind of support did he give you? 10:07 He would say things encouraging, 10:09 I think my younger brother, Maurice, he would say, 10:13 "Hey, it's just an adjustment." 10:14 He said, "It's not something that's not doable, 10:16 you know, you pray about it and you can adjust with it 10:19 that's all." I see. 10:21 Have you started dating? Are you dating? 10:24 Well, it depends on what your definition of dating is. 10:27 No, my definition of dating may not be the same as yours! 10:30 You're talking about going out with... 10:32 Going out with women... Well I do go out with friends. 10:34 Okay friends... you just keep them as friends. 10:36 Right now it's friends. Okay, friends, alright. 10:39 What do you do when women want to take it a little bit further? 10:41 Are you just pacing yourself right now? 10:44 You know, it's my desire to live the way the Lord wants me to. 10:48 You know, after this situation, 10:50 I really want to do things the right way. 10:53 Why do you feel that you didn't do it right? 10:57 It was a choice that your wife made. 11:00 Because you learn things even during trials you learn, 11:04 you become wise with things that I can do more of 11:08 or do better, communicate more. 11:11 And, you now, sometimes we don't miss 11:13 things until it's gone. 11:14 You don't realize what you don't know and so 11:18 through conversations with friends and others, 11:21 you realize, "Well, did I do my best?" 11:24 And then I always think about that Scripture that a husband 11:26 should love a wife like He loves the church. 11:30 And so, you look at yourself and say... 11:31 "Did you love that much?" 11:33 And my honest answer is "No, I didn't," 11:36 not that I didn't want to, but I realize when that gage 11:39 is there, you say, "I didn't love like that." 11:41 And so, I've been learning from that. 11:43 So to get married again would be something you would look 11:46 forward to or if the Lord brought you and your wife 11:49 back together to really have the fulfillment of a healthy, 11:53 loving, spiritual marriage. 11:55 Right, if He brought us back together, I would really be 11:57 excited about that because what I've learned from this 12:00 experience and then how it's almost like I had an 12:03 awakening one night, you know, all those little hang-ups, 12:07 and things, you know that men look at and put a lot of 12:10 emphasis on - a lot of those just left away so 12:15 hopefully she'll see not a different person here, 12:19 but a better person. 12:20 So, is she still in Michigan? 12:24 No, she's not in Michigan. 12:25 Okay, so how often does she see the children? 12:28 Because she moved away, she doesn't see the children 12:32 as much as she used to. Okay 12:34 Do they talk about her? Do they miss her? 12:37 Do they want to see her more? 12:38 They do, I mean they wish she was in town 12:42 so they could see her on a 12:44 regular basis, you know, come by there 12:45 or she can come by there and get them. 12:47 And you never did anything to keep her away from 12:50 the children or them away from her. 12:51 No, never. Never... 12:52 Were you angry? Did you ever become angry 12:56 over the situation? 12:57 I was angry because of things that contributed to it. 13:02 Outside sources, outside people that were involved in it 13:07 that weren't necessarily encouraging or 13:09 looking to try to help with the marriage. 13:13 So those things angered me and then just the divorce in itself, 13:18 to see, you know when you stand there in court... 13:20 they wanna tell you... "Well, this is it," 13:22 and I'm looking at it, "This isn't it." 13:24 I'm not happy and I remember the judge would ask 13:26 that question - "Well, how do you all feel?" 13:28 I said, "I'm not happy with this." 13:30 You said that in court? Right. 13:31 I told him, I said, "There's nothing for me to celebrate 13:34 this - I'm not going out to have a party and go out on a 13:38 date - I said, "This is sad!" 13:40 And she was there. She was standing right there. 13:42 And did she say anything? 13:43 She didn't say anything. 13:45 I said, "This is something I personally believe 13:47 can be fixed." 13:48 And did the judge respond to that or... 13:51 He was just quiet and he just sat there and looked. 13:55 I know one time the attorneys asked, "Well have you all 14:00 ever sat down and just talked about this?" 14:01 I said, "No." 14:03 You sought counseling... did you go to counseling? 14:04 Well I've talked to a friend, for advice and perspective... 14:10 And it mostly is a Christian perspective, 14:14 that's where I get my strength from. Yes 14:16 From the Biblical perspective of marriages, of 14:19 love and commitment. 14:21 And then I also believe when He says, "He causes all things 14:24 to work together for your good." Um hm Romans 8:20 14:27 And then they say there are trials that come 14:29 to build up your faith. Yes 14:30 So for that reason, I look at it as He is guiding 14:34 my footsteps - there's something He wants me to do 14:36 or He wants me to learn so that I could be better 14:40 prepared for what the future holds. 14:42 So let me ask a question... 14:44 Do you think it's fair to date another woman and you 14:48 still have feelings for your ex-wife? 14:51 Is that really fair to the other person? 14:54 Well, dating to me - if I'm going out with her, 14:58 just going out to grab something to eat 15:00 or go for a walk - I don't have any of those deep 15:04 feelings established, it's just company. 15:06 But if you see her once, twice, three times, what's that? 15:10 That's still just having company? Yes! 15:15 I don't mean to get aggressive here, but I think that 15:18 what has happened with men who get divorced, 15:22 is that it's 12:1, 15:1, you have a huge selection... 15:27 So if this doesn't work out Monday, maybe I can date 15:31 someone Tuesday, but if you still have feelings 15:34 for your ex-wife - do you put that out on the table? 15:37 Listen, you know... "I've recently got divorced, 15:40 a couple of years ago, I still have feelings for my ex-wife, 15:44 I'm hoping to reconcile," do you put all that on the table? 15:48 Not only do I put it on the table, 15:50 most of them know it beforehand. 15:51 They are sitting there waiting, but all I'm doing is 15:55 if I want to go for a walk or go out to eat, 15:58 I may ask someone - "Hey, I'm going up to a restaurant 16:02 to grab a bite, do you wanna come?" 16:03 And if they wanna come, well there are times 16:06 when I'm invited - it's a company thing, 16:08 I'm honest and up front with them. 16:09 So this is about, you know, companionship or company... 16:12 do you miss having companionship, you know, 16:15 having your wife in the household? 16:17 I miss having her in the household. 16:19 But did you neglect that companionship when 16:21 she was in the household? 16:22 I don't think I neglected, but I see areas where I 16:25 could have did better. I see. 16:27 And mainly it's the communication... 16:29 The communication. I mean, there were a lot 16:30 of times when I made suggestions to do things, 16:33 and during those times, I just thought it was just 16:35 one of those times she just didn't really want to. 16:38 But, you know, as time goes on, you put little things together, 16:41 you come out with a different opinion of it. 16:43 So are you a different man now 16:44 since your divorce? Absolutely. 16:46 What kind of man are you? 16:47 I think I'm wiser, I think I'm better. 16:50 I understand things more. 16:51 I understand a lot of things that I've may have taken for 16:54 granted or didn't appreciate as much as I should, I see it now. 16:58 Can you tell me, what didn't you appreciate 17:01 or took for granted, what - what kind of things? 17:03 Well I mean and I hate to use cooking because 17:06 women do more than just cook, but she would do 17:08 that on a regular basis and coming from a large family, 17:12 what my mother did, she was a 17:13 housewife all those years. 17:15 You just expected it. 17:17 Not ex... I appreciated it, but she did it so easily that... 17:22 Well I guess I can say I did sort of expect it, 17:24 but not demand it. 17:26 Um hm, okay I like that, I like that. 17:28 So, what else did you take for granted? 17:31 A lot of the little things she did as far as managing... 17:33 I mean it's always better to have four eyes and two minds 17:36 working with the kids than just me by myself. 17:39 So I realize the importance of that - how helpful that is. 17:43 So now, you get up in the morning, you're the supervisor, 17:46 you're manager, you're the entertainer, 17:48 protection, everything. 17:50 You have to do it all. 17:52 Now recently, you retired after how many years? 17:56 Thirty-seven-and-a-half years at Detroit Edison. 17:58 And which I was not invited, I saw it on social media. 18:02 I feel, I gotta let that go, you know, 18:04 why I was not invited, but it looked like 18:07 it was a wonderful party! 18:08 So 37-1/2 years, so now what is the new direction for you? 18:14 What's going on now? 18:16 You know actually I've turned my focus on... 18:19 right now, I'm just taking care of my kids. 18:21 Okay, your children is your priority. 18:23 That is my priority, I've always had a soft spot 18:25 for children - that's important to me. 18:28 Do you want more children if you remarry? 18:30 Do I want more children? 18:31 If you married a younger woman who said, "I want children," 18:35 would you have more children? 18:37 If we loved each other, which I would certainly expect, 18:41 if she wanted to... sure! 18:43 You would have more children? 18:44 Right, I have no problem with that. 18:46 You're a good man, that's alright! Okay. 18:47 You're retired now, so what do you do every day? 18:51 Well right now, the kids are out of school for the summer, 18:55 and they're going to a summer camp... 18:57 So you take them and drop them off. 18:59 I drop them off, I come back and get them in the...? 19:01 Does anyone drive? 19:02 It's me... well, my daughter, she's in school and she moved 19:06 back in with me, so she helps out. 19:08 Oh, I see. My son, Reggie, he's in 19:10 school - he's on summer break, as-a-matter-of-fact, 19:12 he on an internship in Florida. Oh, very nice! 19:14 So they are in the house too. 19:15 So they're a big help. 19:17 So, do they worry about you getting out more, 19:21 being concerned about you being in the home alone? 19:24 Well they tell me that all the time and then when I tell them 19:26 I'm getting ready to go out, they ask me why am I going out, 19:29 you're here with me - that's what my daughter 19:31 tells me - you don't need to go. 19:32 I say, "What if it's a couples' night?" 19:34 They say, "Well I can go with you." 19:36 Really? Right. 19:37 So they're really protective over you 19:39 because you've been hurt! I don't know if that's 19:41 protective. Well, what is it then? 19:42 They don't want me to do anything. 19:43 Oh, they don't want you to do anything? 19:45 No, they want me to be right there. Right there where they 19:46 could keep an eye on you. Keep an eye on me. 19:48 And maybe because they know you've been through a lot. 19:51 You've been hurt and your heart is fragile and they don't 19:55 want to see you get hurt again. 19:56 How old is your oldest daughter? 19:58 My daughter, Lorene, is 26. 20:00 Twenty-six, she's the one that just moved back in with you? 20:04 Right. And so, she's helping 20:05 with the cooking and different things like that? 20:07 Oh the helping, yes. Yes. 20:09 So do you prepare meals for the children and what 20:11 are those meals? 20:12 I do prepare meals for the children. 20:16 They have their favorites, sometimes I ask them what 20:18 do they like and they do like tilapia and they like 20:21 a lot of vegetables and we pretty much keep it simple. 20:25 With the weather being warm, 20:26 they're really not eating that much, 20:28 so I try to keep it light. 20:29 Now you have to be really careful because, you know, 20:31 you're a one-income family budgeting with the family, 20:35 and going out to dinner, entertainment, 20:39 but did you try to take them out at least once 20:42 or twice a month? 20:43 Well we do go out and we do a lot of things as a family. 20:46 Sometimes, we just do it spontaneously, 20:48 we just get in the car and just go and, you know, 20:50 the kids like fishing. Okay 20:52 We'll go places and go for walks and they like to play sports, 20:57 so we do a lot of that activities. 20:59 I'm trying to plan a trip right now. 21:02 Now you played baseball, can we go there a minute? 21:05 Go there! I've played baseball. 21:07 I was the star pitcher of my college, "Oakwood University," 21:13 and you played ball - you sent me pictures of all these 21:17 trophies and things, alright? 21:19 Baseball, to me, is a game of the mind because everyone 21:24 cannot play baseball... so why did you enjoy the sport? 21:28 You started at a very young age, 21:30 and do any of your children play baseball? 21:32 Right, my son plays baseball, a couple of sons play baseball. 21:36 My older brothers played baseball. 21:38 And my mother again having a large family, 21:41 it was easy for her because even we were 8 and 9, 21:45 all we had to do was get our gloves, 21:47 and we'd head out to the field. 21:48 That was a whole team, two teams. Right. 21:50 We did have a family team and we would go out there 21:53 and we'd stay out there until she called us back in for 21:56 lunch or dinner and we'd go right back out again... 21:58 So I guess, in a way, God used THAT to give her the break 22:02 because, again, she was a housewife all of that time. 22:05 She never worked? Never worked. 22:07 With 13 children, no offence, she had to be at home 22:09 cooking that cornbread and greens and all that, alright? 22:12 And so what position did you play or do you still play? 22:17 I'm not playing anymore, 22:18 but I'm planning on playing this year, I was outfielder. 22:21 You were outfielder, well see... 22:24 You know, outfielder - do they really have a responsibility 22:28 that they hit the ball? They have a big responsibility. 22:30 What's the big responsibility? 22:32 When pitchers like you don't have it. 22:33 Oh excuse me... And they have to go get it. 22:35 Oh no, you did not, okay? Laughter 22:37 You see when I pitch that ball, I mean I would strike them out! 22:40 And then, I had the curve ball, I had the curve ball. 22:43 And your insurance policy was in outfield. 22:44 You know what, hmmm, so when they hit the ball... 22:47 She likes that... I liked that, I got that. 22:49 So that ball would go to the outfield, you know. 22:51 Does it bring you a sense of peace 22:54 as you get ready to go play, you know, ball, 22:56 do you bowl and do anything else? 22:58 I enjoy bowling, I enjoy sports on TV. 23:01 I still go outside and right now, I play catch with my sons 23:04 and stuff - yeah, it's something that I'm sort of gifted to, 23:07 so I enjoy it, so I follow it. Oh you do, alright. 23:10 Do you ride bikes? Do you ride a bike? 23:12 I do ride a bike. Do you stay on it? 23:14 I go out on Hines Drive. You didn't answer 23:16 the question, do you stay on it? Do I stay on it? 23:17 Yes. Yes, I do stay on it. 23:19 You know, how old are you now? I am 62 years old. 23:21 Really? I'm not going to apologize 23:23 because I look 35. Ooo, okay, alright, 23:25 someone told you that? Laughter! I believe it. 23:28 Okay, you know, let's tell the audience how we met... 23:32 I met you through your wife and we became friends because 23:37 she was a debt collector - she had called me regarding a debt, 23:41 that a bill I had paid and she was trying to work it out, 23:46 figure it out, then we became good friends. 23:48 Every year I would get a Christmas card from 23:51 the "Woods" family - beautiful Christmas card and family. 23:55 When I got your call to help you through this situation, 24:00 I could not counsel you because I was a friend, 24:02 but I referred you elsewhere, it devastated me 24:06 because I heard your pain and you were angry, 24:09 you were wanting to hurt someone and I would talk to you 24:12 and you would call me, I would try to help you, 24:16 but I had to keep my distance because being a friend... 24:19 And that's a golden rule, you don't counsel 24:21 friends and family. 24:23 But, I heard your pain, saw your pain. 24:26 To this day, I've not talked to your wife, 24:30 and I was hurt - I was, because I just knew 24:35 and I believed in this family's structure. 24:38 But again, it was a decision... you cannot control other people. 24:42 Have you realized that you have no control over your ex-wife? 24:46 Right, that's true, you know sometimes you sit back and you 24:49 want it to work, you want them to just come back, 24:51 but, like I said, I know it's gotta be in her heart, 24:56 and I just put all that in God's hands. 24:59 I looked up and I was coming out of the church parking lot 25:03 from after Arthur's services and you and Dennis were there, 25:07 and it just warmed my heart and you waved at me 25:11 and you reached out to me on different social medias 25:15 and seen how the children and myself were doing... 25:18 I truly appreciate that. 25:20 I think that divorce is like a death, would you agree? 25:25 Yeah, in your heart it is because you hate to think 25:30 that a person is saying to you, "I no longer want to be 25:35 with you, I no longer love you, I don't care like I used to." 25:40 I mean, it's just a terrible thought to me. 25:44 Did you lay awake at night just pondering everything? 25:48 Plenty of days. Plenty of days... Right. 25:50 You still had to get up and get the children 25:51 ready and go to work. 25:53 Right, still doing that, hoping that one day 25:57 it will just click - maybe it's just a passing fad or something 26:00 or something she's going through and she will realize... 26:04 when you think about other peoples' situations, 26:07 then she'll realize it's not as bad as I think, 26:09 it's not something that can't be repaired. Yes 26:12 Ennis, you're a good man, you're a kind heart, 26:15 I know we talk a lot, we laugh, we share a lot of 26:19 different things like baseball and bowling 26:22 and different things that we talk about. 26:24 But I do know that God has you in His hands and your children, 26:29 and even your ex-wife and we don't know what God has 26:32 in store, but if you walk with God, as you said to me 26:35 so many times, it's going to be alright - do you believe that? 26:40 I certainly do - again that Scripture - "He causes all 26:43 things to work together for your good." 26:45 And again, He uses trials to build up your faith, 26:48 that's where I get my comfort from - knowing that 26:52 my steps are ordered, He knows what's going on. 26:55 Just trust Him. Just trust Him. Right. 26:58 And teaching the children also to trust God. 27:01 Absolutely. Definitely! 27:02 Well I just want you to be mindful, be careful, 27:05 you know as you are in your companionship 27:09 because you're my friend and I want you to be happy, 27:13 I really do and I'm praying for you and that God 27:17 continues to guide and keep you. 27:19 In closing, you came to my church for a program and you 27:24 tried our vegetarian vegan food, how did you like it? 27:26 Well on that note... alright... 27:30 it was good! It was different! 27:33 It was different, but it looked great! 27:34 It looked great! It was good. And tofu. 27:37 It's an acquired taste. It is an acquired taste. 27:38 And the tofu - I just could not 27:40 get with that. You couldn't get with that? 27:41 I couldn't get with that. It's an acquired taste. 27:42 We want to thank Mr. Ennis Woods for being with us today. 27:46 Sometimes, again, unexpected turns happen, 27:49 but you learn how to cope with them. 27:51 May God continue to bless you and "Live to Be Well" |
Revised 2018-02-19