Friday, January 27, 2012

Post #3

More of Our Love Story in Bits and Pieces

The summer I was 15, my mom and dad received a phone call from Nathan's parents. They were seeking special permission since I was so young, for Nathan to begin calling me on the phone. (Imagine that courtesy in 1996?!) So began the phone calls. Nathan called once and then didn't call back for 3 weeks. I was beside myself. My dad had a strict no-calling-guys policy, which interestingly enough, my sister has never had enforced. Hmmm... That first child to date thing, I suppose. My dad also has a personal thing with "if you lower your expectations, you're less likely to get hurt." So for 3 weeks, I heard, "Well, I don't want you to be hurt, so you should get used to the idea that he's never going to call again!" And then he called. And called again. He occasionally came up, and we would go out. Long walks, long drives, restaurants. Our relationship was very shall-we-say... platonic. No touch. Just talk. I guess in many ways, it mimicked the courtship-type dating that some endorse. I like it, because it kept our emotions and hormones at bay while we learned about each other.
One memorable date was simply a walk to the local creek. There was nothing special about this creek, it was just the closest. My parents didn't require us to have a chaperone, but we did. A little mangy mutt came along from the neighborhood to be our guard-dog. OK, this section of country road had no houses, just trees. It trotted along ahead of us, stopping every few minutes to get all paranoid about the trees, raise its hackles and be weird. It was hilarious! It followed us all the way home, and sat behind us on the porch steps while we talked. At some point, I asked Nathan, "What do you think?" And at that precise moment, the dog hacked up a hairball. Had to have been there, I guess ;o)

Thursday, January 19, 2012

Post 2: Our Love Story in Bits and Pieces

Fully sixty percent of my life has been shared with Nathan. I met Nathan officially when I was twelve years old. (Although my parents did visit his parents' church in Hobe Sound some when I was four, so I'm sure he was around). Nathan was my youth camp counselor. He was a very mature 18 years old, and he gained my attention for well, a week or two. Let me be clear and say, he wasn't attempting to gain my attention in any way. He remembers think, "It's too bad the nice ones are always too young."

Nathan always had a ton of girl-friends around during those days. I have multiple pics from his college days that are just him and a gaggle of females. He went back to his world of school and social life, and I returned to junior high. When I was 14, he popped in at our church to preach for our pastor who was out of town. My mother quickly snagged him for dinner; I think she finagled that with the older couple who were scheduled to have him over. Fathers are lovely, aren't they? My dad knew about my previous crush, and made a big point (at least it was huge and obvious to ME- everything's drama when you're 14) of finding that out in front of me. Sigh. Devastation.

At some point in here, I saw him again at Pell City Camp. We talked until curfew one night in the cafeteria. I distinctly remember Larry Mabus hovering about and wishing he would go away ;o) If you read this, Larry- you know we love you ;o) haha Nathan kept saying something like, "I need to ask you something." Funny- he never got around to that. Curfew hit, and I was left to wonder about that for a long, long time. When I did see him again, he was dating? and said, "Well, what I was going to ask you, I can't now." 21 year old young men are so communicative ;o)....

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

The best part of the dead of winter is fully a month away, and I propose to celebrate it a little at a time. I would like to suggest that time spent thinking on the amazing human experience called love can point us to the One who loved us first.

(This meditation excludes, of course, the hooking-up culture which touts its knowledge of 'love' as the most well-rounded and thorough. "50 Sex Moves Your Boyfriend Would Kill For" Please. Whatever. As if some 19 year old kid engaging in half-drunk sex with multiple partners even comes close to the joy of a lifelong monogamy. Pet peeve.) The next 14 posts will contain a variety of thoughts on love and romance.

Post #1 C.S. Lewis in God in the Dock
"Domesticity is no passport to heaven on earth but an arduous vocation - a sea full of hidden rocks and perilous ice shores only to be navigated by one who uses a celestial chart."

Barbara Bush "I married the first man I ever kissed. When I tell this to my children, they just about throw up."