Monday, May 12, 2008

13 Years and Counting...


13 Years ago, at 2:30 AM - I got engaged.

My beloved and I had returned to his parents' farm, late, from a "date" with his cousins. "Midst the cows mooing and the whip-poor-will whipper willing" (from a journal entry) my beloved proposed, and I accepted.

I first met my future husband when he was 10 and I was 14. My grandfather was an evangelist and was heading to the midwestern USA to hold some meetings. He invited my oldest sister and I to tag along. It was my first visit to a "foreign" land and I was excited.

We stayed with my future husband's cousins for part of our international visit and then with my future husband's family for the rest of the visit. To me, my dh was just a fun, smart kid to talk with...have water gun fights with and to argue over the correct pronunciations of words with.

Throughout the years I made a couple more trips to the USA with my grandfather and then once by myself via the bus (which is a story in itself) when I was about 18 years old. After that visit at 18, I did not see my future dh again until I was about 26. Throughout the years, ever since we met - we corresponded with each other. We were "just friends", obviously, due to the fact that we were just kids when we met. Also - I never considered him as a "love interest" because you see, my plans were to get married when I turned 18, and to have 10 children. Since he was so much younger than me - he wasn't even in the running.

But as the years passed and we both grew up and grew older - the 4 yr difference did not seem so great. I was working and he was in college. Faithfully we wrote about one letter per month to each other.

As my dh was nearing the end of college - one day I received a letter from him like no other. He shared his feelings for me. To say I was happy, excited, thrilled, in a state of disbelief - isn't coming close to describing my reaction.

A few months later he came to visit me in Canada. Then a couple months later (13 yrs ago this week) I flew down to visit him. I attended his college graduation - visited with him and his family for about a week...and most importantly, got engaged. We were engaged in May, married in Canada in September - and a month later I moved to the USA.

My dh jokes that he could have just written "P.S. Will you marry me?" on a postcard, and even though we hadn't seen each other for 8 yrs, I would have said "Yes!". You know, that ain't far from the truth.

4 comments:

Heather said...

That is so awesome! Happy anniversary.

Anonymous said...

What a blessing from GOD ! When HE chooses our mates, truly the marriage will last ! GOD bless !

Bahama Shores Mama said...

What a great story. Thanks for sharing!

The Correspondent said...

I adore love stories - Thanks for sharing! I especially like the fact that you guys corresponded all those years.

~ The Correspondent