To Him From Her

Today is that special day I keep mentioning. Why so special? 5 years ago today I married the love of my life. My best friend. It's hard to believe 5 years have already come and gone, but this is still only the beginning.

James, I love you so much. I know I say that every day but I hope you know how much I love you. You have helped me grow as a person, as a mother, as a child of Christ. I know I can be a little high maintenance at times but you know how to maintain me so perfectly! Thank you for all your support, love, encouragement, and for always having a listening ear or a shoulder for me to cry on. I could not think of a better match for me and am so SO grateful that God has blessed me so much by bringing you into my life. I love you.

I wrote this as a tribute to our 5 year anniversary...

The Story of Us

"Don't worry. One day she'll be nineteen."

He uttered those fateful words the day he first laid eyes on her. She was sixteen. He was twenty-one.

She was sitting at the piano, worshiping with the other musicians. He was visiting his cousin, her friend. She was introduced to him, but was too young to let the thought of him linger in her mind.

Unbeknownst to them, this Sunday morning encounter would be the beginning of their happily ever after.

She continued living her teenage life, never thinking about him again. Her days were filled with classrooms, late nights, and planning her future. With thirteen years of education behind her, she boarded a plane and entered the unknown. Her future.

She buried herself in the Word. She immersed herself in the beauty around her - rolling green hills and woolly sheep; a different culture; new friendships; personal maturation.

Upon her return she met with her friend, his cousin, and learned of his attraction to her. Intrigued with the news she'd just heard, she thought of him. Often.

His days were becoming more mundane. He wondered if there could be something more, somewhere else. His friend presented an opportunity for him to escape. To go West.

He went. He studied. He matured. He fell in love with the mountains, the people. He stayed.

Their paths intersected again a few years later. They talked. They laughed. They flirted. She was nineteen. He was twenty-four.

Then their story began to unfold. They conversed through written words for months. Learning of each others likes and dislikes; wants and dreams; past hurts and future hopes. A friendship unravelled before their very eyes.

But she paused. Fear of being hurt overcame her. She had grown to care for him. She could see him in her future and feared that he would choose not to meet her there. So she withdrew.

He wondered what had happened to her. To the one that had, until that point, been so open with him. So real. She wasn't the same.

She met with a friend, a wise friend and mentor. His words resonated with her - She could live forever without love or she could let him love her and risk being hurt.

She chose to take the risk. She let him in. She let him love her. She never looked back.

They spent the next few months engaging in conversations about life and love; about God and family; about their future. They spent hours walking while holding hands and grew closer and closer with each day, each visit, each conversation, each moment.

She said she loved him. He said he loved her. They shared their first kiss, but it would not be their last.

He took her home to meet his loved ones. Winter surrounded them in sheets of white snow. She found beauty in the endless horizon. She fell in love with his family and the warmth of their welcome.

He wanted to show her the place where he grew up. The place that moulded him into the man she had come to know. They toured the city. She saw his first home away from home, his workplace, his favourite places to be. She soaked it all in as she fell more in love with him.

Hand in hand they walked along the river. She pointed out the children gliding on the ice; she noticed the fog that escaped from their mouths with each word that they shared.

The Forks. The point where the river they were following met and continued flowing with another river. They stopped to admire their surroundings. She sat on his lap and looked toward the river. He fiddled in his pocket. She turned her face to his and stared at the diamond he held only inches away. She contemplated the situation, uncertain of what was unfolding.

He asked.

She accepted.

They embraced. They kissed. She cried tears of utmost joy. He asked the first passer by to capture this moment in time forever with a picture. She was now his betrothed.

They traced their steps back along the river. Her face frozen with an infectious smile. His arm around her as he watched her with pride as she examined the new home for his ring on her finger. She was his, he thought.

Phone calls to loved ones were made. Plans began to unfold. Excitement surrounded them. They would be together forever.

He wore a black tux. She donned an ivory gown. He stood around the corner and anxiously awaited his bride. She came into view. He smiled. She cried as she locked eyes with her groom. She embraced the man she had grown to love and respect and who, in a few short hours, she would be able to call her husband. 

On October 15, 2005 they promised to love each other for today and all of their tomorrows.

He is still hers. She is still his. The rest of their story is still unfolding to this day as they continue to live happily ever after.