The first time I saw Rick's face, I was disinterested. Not because he was not cute, he was very cute. I was in a bad place in my head. Not only in general, but on that day in particular. I love that I was disinterested because I look back on it now and am tickled that God was working to bring me amazing love and I was not even paying attention.
My heart was still mending from great breakage. I had been a year at Taylor University in Fort Wayne, Indiana. There I had met someone who was an amazing Christian young man and I was sure that was who God had for me. The Lord did not have it in his plan and he used location separation to show me that. I thank him for it now. I was always feeling second place in this young man's life and as some of you know by now, I'm a person who get's intense about what's in my heart and I needed someone just as intense and loyal as I am. I would have been struggling over and over for attention. I'm thankful God knew me and wanted something else for me. Yet, at the time I was heart sick.
(Us in my college dorm lounge)
My parents could not afford to send me back to the Midwest school. The cost of travel on top of school was too much. So, I went to Masters with a scowl in my heart. I did not want to be there. I cried a lot. I made girl friends pretty fast but was not interested in the guys at all. Finally the Lord used some things in email correspondence with this other young man to prove once and for all to me that the relationship we had was not what I had thought it was. On his end, it was much more superficial. I kid you not, it was the very day that this email arrived or one of the emails trailed from it (conversing back and forth) that I first saw Rick.
A guy friend of mine was going to a play. "The Mousetrap" and I was invited. I was not very close to him but he and I had chatted about what I was going through and he thought this might be a good diversion. I am always up for a good play and so I said a slow "okay". Well, we were supposed to be getting a ride from some other college kids that he knew and I didn't. He said he had coordinated that they would pick us up in front of a dorm. We stood there and they never came. You can imagine my sarcastic attitude. I almost expected such a downer that day. Well, he thought that we might as well walk down to the gym and watch the girl’s volleyball game. Now, I am not much for watching sports but I didn't care what I did that day. So, I went along slowly and with slumped shoulders.
We sat down in the first row of bleachers. After a few minutes he turned around and spotted someone he knew way up at the top. "I'll be right back", he said, "I'm going to say hi to someone". "Okay" and I just sat there. My brain was swimming and I don't even remember the game except my occasional envy of some of the girl’s power and athletic abilities. He came back and sat down next to me and said something like "My friend was wondering who you were". "Who?" I said. "My friend up there, he asked me who I was with and if she was my girl friend. I told him no." I turned around to see a tan brown haired, blue eyed guy in the back. He was handsome but he looked older than me. I was 18 at the time. "How old is he?" I asked. "He's like 25 (he had just had his birthday days before, and I was due to be 19 in December)". "Hmp." I said, that seemed old to me. I didn't think another thought about it. I didn't want to.
A few days later, this very guy came right into my dorm lobby where I was doing homework. He was with a girl I knew downstairs in my dorm. They had just been out to dinner. I found out later on that this gal had liked Rick for a long time. She was very nice but they were out as friends. Well, she introduced me. I think I was sitting there working on my paperwork for application to the semester of study in Israel that I was supposed to do. Well, that was the spark that set off the rest of our lives. He had been himself for a semester and we just starting talking and talking and talking. The gal he was with eventually said goodnight and went downstairs and we just sat there forever. He loved to travel, I love to travel. He loved history, I love history. He loved anything English, or Italian, so do I. Our words just flowed back and forth like the ease of waves coming in and out of the ocean. At the time I just found him incredibly interesting and easy to talk to. That was just what I needed at the time.
Then came time for Sadie Hawkins. I did not want to go. I did not want to ask any guy to go. I had one friend who was really goofy and funny who I thought I might ask. He was like a big brother kind of person. I knew I would have some laughs, but something in me longed for some depth of conversation. I thought of Rick. I didn't even know how to contact him. His little sister went to Masters at the time. I knew who she was but we were not close. She was in a different dorm. My roommate did the work for me; she called Joan and got Rick’s number. I was raised that a lady does not call a guy so this whole thing went against what I was trained was right. I let her do it for me. I don't remember much of the details but he said he would love to.
Stay tuned for more of the story......... I have to start school. :) Don't you love the mystery?????
My heart was still mending from great breakage. I had been a year at Taylor University in Fort Wayne, Indiana. There I had met someone who was an amazing Christian young man and I was sure that was who God had for me. The Lord did not have it in his plan and he used location separation to show me that. I thank him for it now. I was always feeling second place in this young man's life and as some of you know by now, I'm a person who get's intense about what's in my heart and I needed someone just as intense and loyal as I am. I would have been struggling over and over for attention. I'm thankful God knew me and wanted something else for me. Yet, at the time I was heart sick.
(Us in my college dorm lounge)
My parents could not afford to send me back to the Midwest school. The cost of travel on top of school was too much. So, I went to Masters with a scowl in my heart. I did not want to be there. I cried a lot. I made girl friends pretty fast but was not interested in the guys at all. Finally the Lord used some things in email correspondence with this other young man to prove once and for all to me that the relationship we had was not what I had thought it was. On his end, it was much more superficial. I kid you not, it was the very day that this email arrived or one of the emails trailed from it (conversing back and forth) that I first saw Rick.
A guy friend of mine was going to a play. "The Mousetrap" and I was invited. I was not very close to him but he and I had chatted about what I was going through and he thought this might be a good diversion. I am always up for a good play and so I said a slow "okay". Well, we were supposed to be getting a ride from some other college kids that he knew and I didn't. He said he had coordinated that they would pick us up in front of a dorm. We stood there and they never came. You can imagine my sarcastic attitude. I almost expected such a downer that day. Well, he thought that we might as well walk down to the gym and watch the girl’s volleyball game. Now, I am not much for watching sports but I didn't care what I did that day. So, I went along slowly and with slumped shoulders.
We sat down in the first row of bleachers. After a few minutes he turned around and spotted someone he knew way up at the top. "I'll be right back", he said, "I'm going to say hi to someone". "Okay" and I just sat there. My brain was swimming and I don't even remember the game except my occasional envy of some of the girl’s power and athletic abilities. He came back and sat down next to me and said something like "My friend was wondering who you were". "Who?" I said. "My friend up there, he asked me who I was with and if she was my girl friend. I told him no." I turned around to see a tan brown haired, blue eyed guy in the back. He was handsome but he looked older than me. I was 18 at the time. "How old is he?" I asked. "He's like 25 (he had just had his birthday days before, and I was due to be 19 in December)". "Hmp." I said, that seemed old to me. I didn't think another thought about it. I didn't want to.
A few days later, this very guy came right into my dorm lobby where I was doing homework. He was with a girl I knew downstairs in my dorm. They had just been out to dinner. I found out later on that this gal had liked Rick for a long time. She was very nice but they were out as friends. Well, she introduced me. I think I was sitting there working on my paperwork for application to the semester of study in Israel that I was supposed to do. Well, that was the spark that set off the rest of our lives. He had been himself for a semester and we just starting talking and talking and talking. The gal he was with eventually said goodnight and went downstairs and we just sat there forever. He loved to travel, I love to travel. He loved history, I love history. He loved anything English, or Italian, so do I. Our words just flowed back and forth like the ease of waves coming in and out of the ocean. At the time I just found him incredibly interesting and easy to talk to. That was just what I needed at the time.
Then came time for Sadie Hawkins. I did not want to go. I did not want to ask any guy to go. I had one friend who was really goofy and funny who I thought I might ask. He was like a big brother kind of person. I knew I would have some laughs, but something in me longed for some depth of conversation. I thought of Rick. I didn't even know how to contact him. His little sister went to Masters at the time. I knew who she was but we were not close. She was in a different dorm. My roommate did the work for me; she called Joan and got Rick’s number. I was raised that a lady does not call a guy so this whole thing went against what I was trained was right. I let her do it for me. I don't remember much of the details but he said he would love to.
Stay tuned for more of the story......... I have to start school. :) Don't you love the mystery?????
3 comments:
Very fun story! Can't wait to read the next chapter.
That picture of you - it looks just like your girls. WOW!
Oh, my this picture of you looks so much like Victoria!
Thanks for sharing your story! And good job getting to school and not letting blogging take over when it shouldn't. I've got to go teach now too!
Very exciting! I can't wait to hear the rest of it.
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