The Right Match!

With our 40^th anniversary approaching this month,  I decided to thank Al for a different thing I appreciated about him every day until the first of the year.

“Oh, you’re going to run out of good things to say about me!” he said humbly.

Well, that hasn’t happened after sixty consecutive days! I am so grateful for Al and for God’s bringing us together!

 With Al teaching in Porterville and me in Bakersfield, the chances of our meeting were very slim. The one link between us was another teacher, Leslie Moe, a colleague of mine.

 Leslie was also an acquaintance of Al’s through a group of single adults that met monthly for potlucks and shared a common interest in backpacking, camping and other outdoor activities. She was an avid outdoor enthusiast and after attending some of the functions of that group, was impressed by the people she had met.

 “A lot of them are engineers,” she said, doing her best to convince me to go.  “Really nice people. You must come with me!”

She wouldn’t accept any of my excuses. Most of my social activities as a single adult had been centered around the church. I was uncomfortable with the idea of mingling with a group of strangers. But I finally gave in and went with her to a potluck dinner one evening.

 Leslie stayed with me, introducing me to Charlie and Paul, both engineers and Al, a high school teacher from Porterville. They were standing together talking and welcomed us into their circle.

Al held up one of his fingers which had been jammed during a volleyball game during the previous month’s meeting. I was coaching a girls’ volleyball team at the time and could relate to the pain of a jammed finger. However, being new to the group I mostly listened to their conversation.

When the time came around for the next potluck, even though Leslie had a conflict I managed to go all by myself. Now to backtrack a bit, I was thirty-five years old at the time, had never been married and was anticipating being single the rest of my life. Even though that wasn’t what I had hoped for, I was finally beginning to accept it.

But I still had not given up praying! In fact, there was a vivid scenario that replayed often in my mind. I envisioned “Mr. Right”  going down the highway,  suddenly doing a u turn and driving to my house. Then he would knock on the front door, introducing himself when I opened the door!

Imagine, meeting a stranger at the front door who turned out to be my long-awaited answer to prayer! Sounds far-fetched, doesn’t it?

At the second potluck, I was walking through the living room when the doorbell rang. The hostess was busy so I answered it for her. And who should be standing there but Al! He had driven to Bakersfield from his home in Porterville for the meeting.

We talked a bit more that evening and then again at a back-pack that he helped organize a few months later. Our first official date was to play tennis one summer afternoon. Then came a few more dates, many talks on the phone and letters too.

It wasn’t long before we were engaged…and almost before I could catch my breath, married. My imaginary scenario of meeting “Mr. Right” was a very good picture of how I met my real “Mr. Right.”

Our marriage has not been easy by any means, with many obstacles and challenges to overcome. In addition to the challenges dealt by life, for the first time there was somebody who knew all of my faults and shortcomings…and loved me anyway.

 Me stubborn? Impatient? Holding on to grudges and slow to forgive? Seeing myself through his eyes was like looking through a magnifying mirror. Things that were easy to overlook when I was single needed to be addressed, sins confessed, attitudes adjusted. Apologizing and admitting my mistakes was not easy. Through it all, Al has demonstrated unconditional, accepting love over and over again.

How thankful I am for his unconditional love! How thankful I am for God’s unconditional love, grace and mercy. God is good!

“Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.” Hebrews 4:13 NIV