Thirty years ago at 3pm on Saturday 21st July 1984 - my wife Alison and I were married in a small church in our hometown of Halesworth, Suffolk, England.
Our marriage has not just been an ordinary union of man and woman; for us there has always been a third party involved. In case you don't know or you haven't guessed yet, that third party has been our highly cherished Korean Martial Art of Kuk Sool Won.
During our thirty years together, Alison and I have devoted our lives to not only raising our two wonderful children, Rachel and Jason, but we've also dedicated ourselves to constantly practising, teaching and performing Kuk Sool. In return our martial art has offered our family not only a very respectable way of earning a living, but so many other exceptional opportunities as well.
Together as a family we have been fortunate enough to travel the World practising and teaching Kuk Sool. We have not only had the pleasure in (twice) visiting South Korea, the birthplace of our martial art, but many other countries including countless excursions to the US.
It has been during these trips that we have met some really fabulous people. Many of them have not just become acquaintances but people we regard as very special friends. They have not only offered us their homes and their hospitality but they have also helped to enrich our own lives at the very same time.
A special mention must also go to our Grandmaster In Hyuk Suh, otherwise known as Kuk Sa Nim, the founder and president of The World Kuk Sool Won Association. On numerous occasions our family have been lucky enough to have been invited to stay with Kuk Sa Nim at his private residence in the USA. We have always considered ourselves extremely privileged and have never ever taken these invitations for granted.
On another note closer to home; I would especially like to express my sincere appreciation to Alison's Mum & Dad; they have unconditionally provided us with a wonderful support mechanism over the years, as did my own parents when they were younger.
At this point I must not also forget to mention the great team of Instructor's that have been with us for over twenty-years. Many still continue to help us out on a regular basis and we are extremely blessed to have such good people constantly surrounding us.
Finally, I would personally like to thank my wife Alison, for putting up with me for the past thirty years. Reflecting back I know that I must have given her many stressful moments. I have to say she is quite a special person, why, because she's still here standing by my side. Alison has always unconditionally supported me in everything I've done, including many of my crazy ideas that have come to pass.
I have to say, in my eyes - She's simply the best!
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