Labor Day weekend 1981 in Glorieta, New Mexico — that’s when Steve Maxwell met Sharon Maxwell.
He was from Monroe, Louisiana. She was from Dallas. They were at a Christian singles conference. Both had attended the same event once before, just never the same year.
This time Sharon was sitting right behind Steve during the first session called “Be My Friend.” The couple leading the group told them to get in smaller groups.
“She taps me on the shoulder,” Steve says. “She made a very, very good impression. Her eyes kind of sparkled. And that was what attracted me to her.”
The conference schedule was interrupted when the building’s power went out. They spent the rest of the weekend getting to know each other over a fire in the common room.
They were both 25 and ready to find The One. Steve was an accountant, just like Sharon’s father. They loved the same type of music. They shared a passion for the Christian faith.
After two months of letter writing, Steve came to Dallas with an engagement ring. They were married in March 1982.
“God just gave me peace and love for him that’s still growing,” Sharon says.
After a couple years in Louisiana, the Maxwells relocated to Dallas for jobs. They made their home in Lake Highlands, where Sharon had grown up.
Soon after, they attended a marriage retreat where they renewed their vows.
“We started looking deep into each other’s eyes. And we just started laughing and giggling,” Steve says. “It was kind of a serious thing. We pretty much laughed through the whole thing.”
In the last 40 years, the Maxwells have lost jobs, raised a child, buried parents and battled cancer. But they can still look into each other’s eyes and start laughing.
“It’s important as a married couple, as we have gone through life, that we’ve been able to be an example to younger couples,” Sharon says. “And teach them to cherish every minute they have, because we’re not guaranteed even the next breath, only the breath we just took.”
