File:Hopes father.jpg

Photo courtesy of Jordan Peterson and Pearry Green.

And just before we got married I knowed I had to--to ask her parents for her. She said, "You'll have to ask mother and daddy."
I thought, "Oh, oh. I'm in for it again." I said, "How about just asking your daddy?"
She said, "Oh, either one of them."
I said, "Thank you, honey." I went out and remember that night, I was going to ask her daddy and I set down so nervous. He lightened at... So I said... I was so nervous, and she'd look over at me, laughing. And then so I got up off the--the duofold. I walked over, and she said, "Good night."
And I said, "Good night." I said, "A-hem, Mr. Brumbach..."
He said, "Yeah..."
I said, "Could I, I, I speak to you just a moment?"
He said, "Sure."
He come walking out, you know, great big fellow, walked out on the porch, and I said, "Sure is a fine night." He said, "Yes, it is, Billy."
I said, "My, I like this weather, don't you?" And I'm so nervous I didn't know what to do.
He said, "Yes." Said, "Go ahead, Bill, you can have her."
I said, "Do you mean it, Charlie?" He said...
I like him today. My, I thought just then, I thought, "Oh, my, that was fine. I said, "You talk to mother about it. Will you do it?"
He said, "Oh, yes, I'll fix that up; it's all right."
I said, "Charlie, look," I said, "I can't make her a living the way you do." I said, "I--I--I only making twenty cents an hour." I said, "I--I can't make her... But Charlie, I love her with all my heart, and I'll work as hard as I can to make her a living."
He put his hand on my shoulder, a fine man, said, "Billy, I'd rather you have her than anybody I know of." He said, "You'll be good to her. And after all, happiness don't consist of how much the world's good you own." That's right, friend.
And I said, "Charlie, we'll be happy."
And he said, "Well, I hope that you are, Billy." And he said, "Be good to her."
I said, "I will."
He said, "I'm glad to know that you're going to get married."

Sermon: Life Story, Cleveland Ohio, August 20, 1950