We all love a super love story and today, gospel musician Panam Percy Paul and his wife Teena are celebrating the 43rd anniversary of their wedding sharing some of their marital experiences and recalling how they first met.
Panam and Teena had known each other for a long time, as their parents were friends and they grew up together. However, it wasn’t until a chance meeting in 1979 that Panam saw Teena in a romantic light.
He said, “I used to see her as a little sister. At a time during the Nigerian civil war, she and her elder brother, who was my classmate, even lived with us. With the passage of time, we all went our separate ways to school and to pursue other endeavors so we didn’t see each other for a while.
But on one fateful day in 1979, I went to visit my parents and she was just leaving the house at that time too. Immediately I set eyes on her, it was just like I had never seen her before. Till now, I find it difficult to explain how my emotions towards her just changed so dramatically because we had lived together for a while and I never had any romantic feeling towards her.”
Teena was struck by Panam’s honesty, and his passion for serving God. She said, “Even when he proposed to me, he said, ‘If I promise to buy you silver, gold, or build a skyscraper, that wouldn’t be true because I cannot afford them now. But as God leads us on this journey, I can assure you that whatever treasure I get is also yours.’ That honesty really appealed to me.”
The couple’s parents were initially skeptical about their relationship, but they were able to convince them that they loved each other dearly and were ready to become husband and wife. Teena’s brother also supported them and they have never seen each other as brothers-in-law but just brothers.
Throughout their marriage, Panam and Teena have been open with each other and keep no secrets. Teena has the details of Panam’s bank accounts and at some point, he handed over all the cheque books to her and she was the one handling the finances of the home. They have shared responsibilities and have been able to build a strong relationship based on trust and mutual understanding.
The couple described their marital experience as “a wonderful journey with a lot of diverse experiences” and they look forward to many more years of happiness together.
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Joseph Omoniyi
