Photographed by Leslie Mincey • Story by Ashley Elvington Marriage Love &
Meredith & Jimmy Fore
“You ask how much I need you. Must I explain? I need you, oh my dar-
ling, like roses need rain. You ask how long I’ll love you; I’ll tell you true. Until the twelſth of never, I’ll still be loving you.” I’m sure many of you have heard this beautiful song sung by the incomparable Johnny Mathis, but how many have actually experienced this type of love? The kind that tran- scends all reality. It makes your heart blossom, your cheeks flush. Birds are singing, cupids are flying. You’ve now found the missing piece to your puzzle. That’s exactly how Jimmy Fore felt when he met his beloved Mere- dith one hot summer’s day at Bethea Baptist. He had seen her around the area, and she managed to capture his attention every time. Meredith was actually Jimmy’s neighbor, so he would see her occa- sionally outside in her yard and in the lunch room. Little did he know, Meredith was paying close attention to him, too. Especially to the beau- tiful flower garden he was maintaining in his yard! “One day, she asked me if I needed some help in the garden because she would love to get out there and help. I thought, ‘Okay, who is this that would love to get her hands in the dirt on a hot day?’ That mutual interest, in addition to being neighbors, drew us closer together.” She adds, “The more we talked, the more things seemed to fall into place. I wasn’t looking for anybody, he wasn’t looking for anybody. I think it was God.” He agrees, “It was divine intervention because we were determined to be single.” Jimmy oſten refers to Meredith as his angel. “I feel like she was sent for me. She just fell down from the sky, lit up the garden and said, “Hi, how can I help you? God sent me here to help you.’” Although they both tried to fight it, they couldn’t help their growing feelings for one another. The more they got to know one another, the deeper they fell in love. “I was a caregiver at the time, so I couldn’t leave Bethea. He’d come over, we’d sit on the back porch, talk and listen to music. He’d eat with us when I would fix dinner for Daddy. Whenever we dated, Daddy was always around. Jim- my was very accepting and understanding of that. Most men wouldn’t put up with that. When I went to California to see my son and grandchildren, he went over and checked on Daddy every single day - morning, noon and night - and would let me know how he was doing. How many men are you going to find in this world that would do that?” Shortly aſter they started seeing one another on a regular basis, Mere-
dith went on a cruise. While she was away, Jimmy wanted to remind her how much she meant to him. “He sent me the most wonderful texts every day. I had never had that before. He’s a wonderful man, he’s just so sweet.” Jimmy admits that he fell in love with Meredith simply because of who she is. “The more I learned about her, the more I wanted to know about her and get closer to her. She’d say, ‘If you knew me, you probably wouldn’t want to be in love with me.’ I’d say, ‘That’s not the way it works.’ You fall in love and whatever you find later on down the road, you live with that. And you love the person anyway.” She adds, “He makes me comfortable and content. I never feel like I have to be someone I’m not. I don’t feel like I have to be dressed to a T. He accepts me for who I am.” Feeling so strongly about one another, the couple discussed the possibility of marriage.
36 February 2014
On the morning of June 25, 2013, Meredith woke up early, expecting Jimmy to come over for coffee like usual. Still in her pajamas, she made her way to her back porch and discovered a vase of flowers. Notes were attached to each stem saying, “Meredith, I will love you till the twelſth of never. Will you marry me?” She looked up and there was Jimmy - kneeling on the porch steps. To show his love even more, he proposed to her a second time! “He didn’t have a ring the first time!” The evening of July 3rd, the couple visited their usual spot under an oak tree where they would talk and gaze at the moon. Jimmy got down on his knees one more time and asked her to marry him. Of course, she said yes, both times! He jokes, “The first one was a test to see if she was going to throw those flowers back at me or say yes!” Since the proposal, things have been hectic for the two of them. Meredith elaborates, “The Sunday
before the wedding, my brother-in-law passed away. The kids had just moved back to Florence, so they had nowhere to have family and friends visit during that time. So the first three days of the week, all of the wedding things had to be put on hold to handle that. It’s not things that Jimmy and I plan, but we’ve just stuck together through it all.”
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