She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come; She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue; She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness; Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her. (Proverbs 31:25-28 NIV)

51 SHADES OF GRACE

DALLAS — Four-plus years. A lifetime to go.

Whether the Dallas Cowboys punch a ticket to the postseason following the Week 17 slate of games still remains a mystery.

But one that isn’t a mystery: Ann Bailey’s unyielding love for her husband husband, Dennis Bailey.

During a recent interview with Making Headline News, Ann Bailey tried the best she could to draw a comparison to the love she has for her husband of four years and his adoration for the Cowboys, his favorite sports team.

Credit her for at least giving it a fair shot.

“When I think about the love traits synonymous with the Cowboys, I think about endurance, longevity, and dedication,” Ann explained. “My love for Dennis, much like his love for the Cowboys, requires that I dedicate time to assuring that I get to know the most silent details of what makes him move about from day-to-day.

“It requires that for everything he does. Much like the fan of the Cowboys, you never stray away, because it is something so enticing, so breath taking, and so whole about loving him that I can’t do anything other.”

Ann’s husband celebrated his 51^st birthday on Christmas Day which, as far as she’s concerned, was the perfect time to commemorate his big day while paying homage to Christ’s birth.

A couple who resides in Memphis, Dennis and Ann are devout people of faith and are active in ministry at their local church. As Ann explained, it is due in large part to their bend-but-don’t-break faith that has greatly enabled them to overcome virtually every obstacle that has come their way.

“Both Dennis and I are active in our ministry,” Ann said. “We are both fortunate enough to have endured some things in our lives that allowed us to lend a helping hand to others through providing food and other resources to those in need, as well as, continuing to spread the word (of God).”

Interestingly, Ann said she’d be remiss if she did not credit her husband for helping her to adopt more of a servant’s heart, as God’s manual encourages us to do, according to Philippians 2:3.

“Dennis has helped me to see another perspective as it relates to the needs of people,” Ann said. “Whereas I believe in learned behavior attributing to the way we maneuver in everyday life, he has helped and at times and challenged me to look more in-depth to the various layers of this thing that we call life. He offers profound and prolific thoughts that always make me want to dive into the Word even more.”

Originally from South Memphis, Ann and her husband has been knowing each other since their childhood and have always kept a close-knit bond long before they even thought about dating.

The couple would ultimately marry on May 30, 2015 and has been virtually inseparable ever since.

“I just want to thank Dennis for being the gift that I will cherish for the rest of my life,” Ann said. “He has been a great husband, protector, provider, and lover. I am so thankful that our paths were predestined to cross.”

Four-plus years. A lifetime to go.

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Andre Johnson is the award-winning Founder and Publisher for Making Headline News. A 2000 graduate of the University of Memphis School of Journalism and a former staff reporter of sports for the Memphis Commercial Appeal newspaper, Johnson covers the NBA Southwest Division from Dallas, Texas. To reach Johnson, send email to [email protected] or to [email protected]. Also, follow him on Twitter @AJ_Journalist.