A Love Story

My Mother used to tell me,

"To be loved by someone for who you are, truly loved

by that person, is a gift. It is something you should NEVER take for granted."

I was a teenager.  I rolled my eyes, made gagging noises, went about my life.

I met Jon when I was in my late 20's.  I look back now, I know that

I was where God needed me to be, doing what He needed me to be doing, 

with the people He needed me around the night Jon first walked into my life.

Jon was no more than a piece of eye candy to me.  Cute to look at, too young, 

and really I didn't want a relationship.  I was hurting, broken, questioning my faith, my 

upbringing, my life.  Yet, despite questioning, trusting that God had allowed me to go

through a particularly painful period for a reason.  Jon and I became fast friends.

We had a lot in common.  My Mom would ask me about him, I would

say, "Mom, we're only friends."  She knew though.  She always knew.

When Jon and I finally married, it was a wonderful day not

just for us, but for our friends and family.   My Mom would say to me,

"I always worried about you, what would happen to you, who would look after you.

Jon is always going to take care of you."  I would roll my eyes.  I didn't need

taking care of. I could take care of myself. I was older than him and way wiser.

Then, life happened.  Jon was who I turned to.  Jon remained my friend, my support, my

caretaker, my heart.  Jon loved me on my best days, on my worst days.  Jon held me when I needed

held, cried with me, worried with me, laughed with me. I came to know that what

my Mom said was true, when you are loved, truly loved

by someone, it is a gift.

I often wonder, what would have happened had we never met.

What would my life have been like?

Would I be the person that I am?  What would Jon's life have been like?

Would we have gone on to meet others, marry others, would we have ever realized

what we would have missed.

More than I think of us, I think of our four children.

If God had not brought us together that night, years ago, what would have happened to them.

Would they have been adopted.  Would they have been loved

the way that we love them.  Would they know the Lord.

A love story is really not just about two people. It's about all of the people that

their lives touch.

It's about the children, the grandchildren, the friends.

Yesterday, our family celebrated Valentine's Day.  Every year, we surprise our kids

with a little gift, a little something that lets them know how much we love them.

Something that reminds them they are special to us.  This year, our kids surprised us.

They all had worked, through the week, to craft all sorts of little gifts.

A paper chain heart made with every one's favorite color, pictures colored in, cards

drawn.  Little tokens that showed us how loved we are, by them.

As I hung up the things that they'd made for us, I couldn't help but think

what would have happened, all those years ago, if Jon and I had never met.

 As we settled the kids into bed, so that we could have special dinner-just

the two of us-I realized how thankful I am that all of those years ago, I stopped to sit

and talk with Jon about running.  That all of those years ago, I went to that little county

fair, and I met the man who is, by far, the love of my life.