The Last 25 Years

David married Mary not long after I married Ceil in 1987. We both joined a small group led a couple who homeschooled. Steve Norman’s wife Becky also homeschooled their brood. Our first child Will was born in 1993, five months after Joel Norman, and about a year before the Hurt’s first daughter Haley.

In the mid-90’s we moved from Morningside to East Cobb, and the Hurts moved from behind Piedmont Hospital to Sandy Springs. Ceil and Mary started homeschooling. The Hurts began hosting a Super Bowl party that turned into an annual event, now going on twenty years. In 1999 with three kids under six, us Murphy’s left Second-Ponce and began attending North Point Community Church in Alpharetta. A year or two later a large group of young families left SPdL and formed Buckhead Church, a satellite of North Point. The Hurts moved over to Buckhead Church.

In 2004 Will and Joel enrolled at Living Science, where home-schoolers take classes. Steve had been diagnosed with Pick’s Disease, similar to Alzheimer’s. After a long, slow decline he passed away in his sleep. After a year or two the Hurts moved to a beautiful home in Milton, north of Alpharetta, and enrolled their two daughters in Living Science. That same month Margaret, their youngest, was diagnosed with leukemia. David let his country club membership go inactive and quit playing his weekly Thursday afternoon round of golf. The bad economy hit his kitchen business hard, and he had to work longer hours. Eventually Margaret was freed from her leukemia.

Living Science took three week-long trips every year. Parents went as chaperones. Ceil and David went on a few trips, and Mary and I went on most. In 2010 our families vacationed together in Florida. Last year Joel got Will and me hooked on trivia at a local coffee house, and soon the Hurts started coming as well.

Haley gets her height and looks from David and her drive and determination from Mary. Margaret gets her dark hair and complexion from Mary, but is easy-going like David.

A few years after we got married Don Head married Angela, the tall athletic redhead. They eventually moved out to Powder Springs in southwest Cobb County. Don works for the City of Atlanta, and also helped pastor a small church near their home. We don’t see Don and Angela that much, but a few years ago the Hurts and Murphys drove over for his 50th birthday party.