Friday, March 1, 2013

the story of us

some of my favorite bloggers did some sweet 'how we met' posts last month, for Valentines Day and anniversary celebrations. I'm not copying. I have been thinking about doing a story of us for awhile now and with March 2nd being the 17th anniversary of our engagement... it just seemed like the right time to write this. 


I first met him at Tall Timber Ranch when our churches annual youth/snow retreat was taking place. He was the youth leader at his church and had a rowdy bunch of monkeys under his watchful eye. It was the first time I'd been to Tall Timber and was totally blown away by the raw beauty of this wintry wonderland.


In the interest of full disclosure, I was still married to my first husband and the meeting of this tall shaggy bachelor was barely a blip on my radar. he was just a guy with a bunch of hoodlums to take care of. I thought he seemed like a quiet, kind man and that was that.

Fast forward a few years.... by now I'd gone through an ugly divorce and was slowing trying to rebuild my life as single parent. The annual trek to Tall Timber was a welcome respite and the promise of fun, relaxation and little, if any, responsibilities, sounded too good to pass up. I signed up my then 12 year old  daughter and myself for the retreat. I thought I would play in the snow a little, read some books by the fire and maybe, even let my battered heart soak up some healing in God's country. I had no idea what letting my heart out of it's protective cage was going to lead to...


Bruce tells the funny story of how the day he saw me in the church parking lot, as we loaded up the caravans to head out, he approached me, with a twinkle in his eye and a teasing smile to ask for my permission slip to attend. Funny man. I gave him a snappy come back about my permission slip and said something about having filled out the allergy form. He asked if I was allergic to snow. Now mind you, I'd been hurt so bad in the past that I didn't trust myself, let alone some guy, no matter how nice his smile. My flippant retort was "No, I'm allergic to MEN."

Ouch. Freezer burn from the ice princess, Bruce decided to stay clear of me all weekend.


But something happened once I arrived at the camp. That stunning raw beauty of the place, being unplugged from all stress and responsibilities for a few days, and the very real and very overwhelming presence of the Holy Spirit was so strong, it was impossible for me to continue to hold onto the fortress I'd so carefully constructed around my heart. Within the first 12 hours of being there I felt a release. A thawing. I think I began to understand how heavy and tiring it was to keep that wall in place. When the couple facilitating the weekend led us in a meditation of the 23rd Psalm and we got to the verse "He restores my soul" the words resounded in my heart and soul. And some healing began...


to be continued....

2 comments:

  1. I'm allergic to men! wow he must have really liked you not to have run for the hills after that come back!
    Thank God for that :)

    I'm sorry that your previous relationship was so painful. And so happy you've found the right man who makes you happy.

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  2. Hey Jen, thanks for reading. Yah, that allergic to men comment has been with us a long-long time, ha ha. I don't know if he 'liked' me as much as he was determined to crack my hard shell and find out what was really going on. Yes, I do feel blessed, incredibly so for the gift God gave me in Bruce. <3

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