Once upon a time a shy young woman was visiting a girlfriend she had met the previous summer when they both worked on the staff of a church camp. This young woman and the girlfriend made plans to attend the church "college and career" valentine party. Also attending this party was a young man who had recently been discharged from the Air Force and had come back home.
I was that shy young woman, and the only thing I remember about that party was that young man. The young man is now my husband. I was told many months later that he went home that night and informed his dad he had met the woman he was going to marry. I confess it took me a little longer to come to that conclusion, but it didn't take many weeks for me to realize this young man was my soulmate, the love of my life.
And now, 49 years later (we met February 13, 1971), nothing has changed. Well, a few things have changed! We have grayer hair, and a few more pounds, and some wrinkles.....all those things that are part of the aging process. What has not changed is the absolute certainty that this man is one of the very best parts of my life! These days, when I think about Valentine's Day, I don't think about hearts and flowers and where we will go out to dinner, or even if we will. I think about that Valentine's Day in 1971, one of the most significant days in my life.
In an era when love is defined by Hallmark movies and ridiculous sitcoms where life's problems are easily resolved in less than 30 minutes, I am grateful to God that He knew exactly who would be best for me. I'm grateful beyond words that this one He placed in my life is so much more than I ever dreamed of!
Life hasn't always been easy. We have had to deal with some really hard stuff over the years. We've laughed together. We've cried together. We've prayed together. There has been some sickness and some health, some better and some worse.
Yet through it all, life has been gloriously wonderful, and I wouldn't want to do this journey called life with anyone else.
No comments:
Post a Comment