Gospel musician Kirk Franklin, who on January 20th, celebrated 27 years of marriage to his wife, Tammy.
Before the two got married, they had children from previous relationships. Kirk was already a father to a son named Kerrion Franklin, while Tammy had a daughter named Carrington, who Kirk legally adopted after their marriage.
After getting married to Kirk, Tammy quit her job as a make-up artist to devote time to her family. She and Kirk had children of their own, a daughter named Kennedy, born in 1997, and a son Caziah, born in 2000.
As he does ever year, Kirk professes his undying love for his wife. But one year, in a “confession” he posted on his blog, Kirk says that without his wife to whom he proposed when he was just 18 everything he is today would not have come to fruition,
"I asked the girl that blew my mind the first time I saw her at a swim party when I was eighteen to marry me. Now, I had no idea of the huge weight of seriousness in that request; no one does at the time, but I can tell you, the man, the music, and my ministry would be dead on arrival if I would have never asked the girl of my dreams to marry me,” he writes.
“It takes a lot for a man to fall in love; it takes even more for him to STAY in love.” Quoting Dr. Tony Evans, whom he calls his mentor,
Franklin says, “The reason why God commands us ’till death do us part’ is because it takes that long to get to know someone!”
Franklin talks about how he and Tammy came from different backgrounds; hers one that was filled with love and stability in her family and his where “the only blueprint I had was Cliff and Claire Huxtable on NBC” and he memories of married men in restaurants who always looked bored, “like they wanted to cut their wrist.”
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Despite everything, his leap of faith into marriage managed to not only survive, but flourish, for 27 years. “I love being married to her. And the fear of a lifeless boring life with no fun and youthful fire was a life that had to be created by the both of us. See, men don’t want to adjust, to bend, to die. That’s the word; die. Not in some dreadful dark cloud type of way, but to take the focus off of yourself and realize that you’re not the best YOU that you can be until you find that soul mate that ignites that better you."
“Tammy was patient with me. Her family background was better than mine. She had a mom and dad in the house. She saw love modeled. I didn’t. She didn’t give up on me. She knew I was crazy, and she was my medication. She calmed me. She made the noise quiet. And she didn’t beat me up for what I wasn’t.”
"I want to be married forever. I never want to embarrass my wife by ever cheating and breaking her trust. I want the next Young Kirk to come to our home, see us kissing and snuggling by the fireplace, until the young Kirk considering marriage yells out 'Get a room!'”
Even at the height of COVID, Franklin posted a heartfelt message to his bride:
"Lately I been gone a little more now the world is open… I’ve always lived with the guilt of leaving you and the kids, making every trip often feel duplicitous as I leave my first ministry to do ministry. I cannot lose you… I will always choose empty hands over an empty home. No trophy feels the same as my hand embracing the lower arch of your waist as I pull you close to hear what secrets heaven has given you to download into my soul."
"I do love when the world was shutdown so I could focus only on you. I write this openly so the entire universe and every demon can understand I will never go back to the man I was when work was my mistress. Every flight, every hotel room, will forever have an empty space reserved for you my queen. Say the word, and you’ll be “flewed” out. You get it. You’re my vaccine."
