Eight Years Ago...

...today, I walked into Chili’s with my boss and his wife, Mark and Carrie. We were there to meet a co-worker of hers for dinner. As we stood in the foyer waiting for our table to be ready and Carrie’s co-worker to arrive, a face peered around the crowd and looked directly at me. Then he turned, looked the other direction, back at me, and then at Mark and Carrie. The face was very kind and gentle, clean-shaven with dark eyes, almost back hair, and square jaw…rugged handsomeness. He was wearing blue jeans, a green sweater with three open buttons at the collar, and a green and black ski jacket.

I can’t rightly say it was love at first sight, but once he came over and introductions were made, I was so glad that this was the co-worker that Mark and Carrie had set me up with on this blind-date. Tom was his name and I was smitten. We had a wonderful evening of getting to know each other over dinner, and then the four of us went back at the office where Mark and I worked to play a game of Cranium …Tom and I won.

Over the next six months we had more dates, hikes, and lots of star gazing. We laughed together and played together. The more I got to know him, the more I wanted to spend the rest of my life with him. He loved the word of God like no other man I had ever met…he upheld it above all else. His faith was unshakable. He was strong, funny, encouraging, sharpening, and served those around him with such unselfishness. I was in love.

Love and reality often times collide and so our story has more to it then just the romantic fairy-tale that I so desired. Dating is hard...disagreements, fear (on my part), and unmet expectations led to an extended break-up. I was heart-broken. But God…God had a plan greater than I could have imagined. He has a way of weaving all the areas of our life together to form a beautiful picture of His truth, grace and love. He brought us back together through an amazing, miraculous God-thing. Six months after that we were married…my fairy-tale ending, only better.

I am so thankful for the last eight years! I love you handsome! - PLR

Comments

It is amazing how time flies and how young Tom looks!
Mitchell Family said…
Happy Anniversary you two! You guys are such a cute couple!

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