January 12, 1972

Thirty-five years ago today, I met my husband. Well, I had actually met him a few weeks before, ...but he didn't remember. Come to think of it, we may even have sort of met many years before that, ...but neither of us remember. Bruce's family owned a candy store and soda fountain not far from my grandma's house. When I visited Grandma as a little girl, my uncle would often take my brother and I for a walk to that store for a milkshake. We'd sit there at the soda fountain for a while and then go home. Looking back, it was very likely that our paths crossed one of those afternoons, because Bruce spent his Saturdays there. Maybe he even sat on the next stool, spitting paper wads at me. Regardless, I can just imagine God, with a funny smile on His face, chuckling, lilting... "I know something you don't know!".

Thirty-five years ago today, we were introduced (for the second time) during a social event at college (Penn State). And, he walked me home. That led to a first date, which seriously, but for the grace of God, could've easily been the last (a story for another time, perhaps). We continued to see each other, in spite of the fact that he shoved ice cream in my face...twice... on the second date (perhaps a throw-back to his soda fountain days??). He said he was testing my JTA (joke-taking-ability), a much-coveted trait in his circle of friends. After 29 years of marriage, I can claim a high JTA.

If you do the math, you'll note that our 'courtship' spanned six years, but it was interrupted by a broken engagement, and some soul-searching time apart. Happily though, God's plan for our hope and our future united our paths and has brought us thus far, with three lovely daughters, a wonderful son-in-law, a goofy sheep dog, and great expectations for the rest of the story.

It continues to amaze me how lives are interwoven and how divine appointments and God-breathed 'coincidences' shape our biographies. Some of my adventure has been stormy, and some of it has been beyond my wildest dreams. And even if I could, I wouldn't change any of it, because I know the Author of my tale, and He writes 'page-turners' with happy endings.