Jeff and I have one of the best first date stories ever. It was a blind date in April of 1986, but I didn't know it was even a date! Jeff was roommates at Texas A&M with one of my good friends, Hal, who decided to fix up Jeff and their other roommate Larry, with myself and my friend Betty. Hal knew me well enough to know that if he said it was a "date," especially a BLIND date, that I would say N-O!! So, he called and told me he was "bringing home some people" for the weekend, and thought we could get a "group" together and go out to eat. Not until we got to the restaurant and Jeff offered to pay for my dinner did I realize what was going on. We had a pretty good time that night, but neither one of us was very impressed. He thought I was "mod," and told Hal he thought he would give the girls in College Station a chance first. I thought he was much too quiet, and frankly, I didn't mind at all that he was on the prowl at A&M! It was definitely NOT love at first sight!
That summer my parents moved to Chicago, and I went with them. Jeff did not cross my mind at all that summer. When I returned to East Texas to go to school in the fall, I got an apartment with a friend, and soon settled back into a busy routine of school, work, church, and friends. One night in September while studying, I received a phone call. The guy on the other end identified himself as "Jeff," and I had no idea who he was. The only Jeff I could think of was married to a friend of mine, and I knew this was not that Jeff on the other end of the phone. He asked me if I received his letter, which I hadn't, and then he mentioned that Hal had given him my address. (Oh!! THAT Jeff!) We had a nice chat, and the next week I received his letter. That began a couple of months of correspondence between us. In November he came to Longview to visit, and that's when our relationship really took off. We continued to write, talk when we could afford it, and his visits became more frequent. On May 9, 1987, he asked me to marry him, which I happily did on January 2, 1988.
From the time I got old enough to know anything about getting married, I prayed for God to provide someone for me who would help me go to heaven. Jeff was the answer to that prayer. He is a good, loving, tender-hearted man, who is passionate about his service to God. I have had the privilege of watching him grow from an inexperienced twenty-something year old young man who would nervously give a lesson, lead singing, or teach a class, to a mature man who does all of those things now well and with ease. He has been the one to nurse me through illness, to point out things in my life I need to improve, and to always bring out the best in me. Through the almost 25 years of our marriage, he has been my best friend, and the rock I have leaned on time and time again. We've had so much laughter and joy as we've lived each day, and as God blessed us with the three most wonderful children ever to be born. The happy, joyous memories are too numerous to mention, and I have often asked myself, "Is this real life?" because my life is just that good - Jeff makes it that way. And in those 25 years we've also shared great sorrow - the loss of our first child through miscarriage, and the loss of both of our fathers, to name a few. I'm so thankful we have had each other to get through life's valleys - especially am I thankful that I have him.
Whenever I stop to consider my life, I am overwhelmed that I have been the one person in this world who is so very blessed to share Jeff's life as his wife. Even after 25 years, I sometimes feel like I'm living a dream. No one is perfect, but Jeff is the perfect one for me. Through his example and loving guidance, he has taught me to be more patient, and to think things through before reacting. His first consideration is always what is best for ME, and he works hard each day to provide both monetarily and emotionally for my needs. He makes me feel like the most important person in the world, and has convinced me that I AM tops in his world. I am overwhelmed by his love and care for me. And I haven't even mentioned what an amazing father he has always been to our three who call him dad. They have the very best in him as well. He's been an outstanding spiritual leader of our family, and perfectly embodies all that God instructs husbands and fathers to be. I am so blessed.
I long ago ceased praying for God to provide a man with whom to share my life when Jeff entered my world. Instead, I now I pray that our girls will be blessed to find men who are just like their dad, and that our son will be that kind of man himself. I'm such a better person and closer to my God than I ever could've been without Jeff, and I am so blessed to be married to my best friend. It's been the best 25 years of my life, and I pray that God blesses us with at least that many more. Jeff completes me, and I feel like a major part of me is missing when we're apart. I thank God daily for him. I'm also very glad that those girls in College Station who got another chance way back in 1986 didn't pass his test, and that I got another shot!
No comments:
Post a Comment