Standing in the Shryock living room, Harold and Daisy broke some major news to Harold's parents, “We've decided to get married at the end of April.”
“Impossible!” his mother Stella gasped.
His father Alfred lifted his hands to try to quell the building storm. “Listen young people. While we're both thrilled that you've found each other, getting married on such short notice is simply not acceptable. There's so much to do, so much planning, organizing, letting friends and family adjust their schedules for the event. We've got to print the invitations, arrange for—”
“Dad,” Harold interrupted. “We're not asking whether we can get married in four weeks. We're telling you.”
Alfred and Stella stood open mouthed. They'd been in the habit of giving advice and having it accepted without question. Harold had always submitted to his parents’ direction in the interest of obedience and respect. The determination and gentle stubbornness he was now demonstrating was new and very unsettling.
“Well…” Alfred said when he found his voice, “where…where will you work? How will you support a wife?”
Harold frowned. “We've been thinking a lot about that and we need some help in finding employment.”
Alfred grinned broadly. “I know some Adventists up in Portland, Oregon, who run a bakery, and they just might need a new member for their sales team. Its outdoors, lots of physical labor, just what you need right now. I'll give them a call and see if we can work something out. Interested?”
“Sure. I'm willing to give it a try.”
The next day, as Harold took Daisy back to Los Angeles to catch the train, they both felt tremendous emotional relief. Future uncertainties made no difference. They knew the road ahead wouldn't be easy. But, now, they were in control of their own destiny. They could depend on each other. And best of all, they'd be together sooner rather than later.
That evening, snuggly tucked away in room 210 at the Cardinal Hotel in Palo Alto, Harold and Daisy held their very first family worship as husband and wife. As planned, the two read from the Bible the beautiful words, “Entreat me not to leave thee, or return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God” (Ruth 1:16).
Following the honeymoon Harold took a job driving a truck for the Dixie Bakery. The company had recently purchased a small fleet of new Chevrolet trucks for house-to-house delivery and needed salesmen. So it was that Harold, the future dean of the Loma Linda School of Medicine, traded his student scrubs and instructor smock for a crisp, white “Breadman” uniform.
Selling door to door wasn't easy for the ex-medical student. Being an introvert, he recoiled at dealing with so many people each day. But, it was just the kind of work he needed; providing employment six days a week, lots of outdoor exercise, regular hours, and enough money on which to live with a few dollars to spare.
Having to be self-sufficient with a bride to support, the sheltered young man who'd spent a great deal of his life under the care and feeding of parents began fending for himself for the first time. He made decisions on a daily basis, decisions with long-lasting consequences that affected not only his own well-being, but also the well-being of someone he loved.
The couple quickly learned that married life, with its freedoms and new horizons, contributed to a blessing for which they'd been praying. Harold’s health improved with each passing month.
His venture contrasted sharply with anything he'd done previously. A new interest in making friends gradually replaced his initial anxiety in meeting people. In chatting briefly with each customer, he lost his timidity. Soon, he was serving around 200 clients.
By the end of his first month on the job, Harold had increased his income to a very respectable $30 per week. Sometimes Daisy would drive the truck with Harold perched on the running board. Not having to open the door to get in and out at each stop saved time and allowed the energetic Breadman to contact more customers. One little boy called Daisy “the Breadman lady.”
Most days, life moved smoothly for the happy couple. Harold's income met living expenses with enough left over occasionally for some simple luxury. Being married provided new adventures and strong feelings of belonging that neither had experienced in the past. And Harold's symptoms of illness all but vanished. The strenuous work not only restored Harold's endurance, but it also gave him a new perspective on living. One conclusion became more and more obvious as the months passed. He didn’t want to spend the rest of his life selling cakes, cookies, and cream puffs.
The Shryocks struggled with what to do. Should Harold return to medical school? Should they go into business?
Answers came gradually. Daisy, being a nurse, wanted to help people as a personal ministry. Harold's motives were not yet as well defined, but he shared his wife's desire for personal ministrywhether in a hospital or a classroom.
He was also motivated by Daisy's persistent, simple faith in him. “If you want to be a doctor or teacher, then that's what you should be,” she often told him. “Life is a series of choices. So sit yourself down and figure out what's most important to you, and then choose the best way to make it happen!”