I used to participate in a weekly blog link up that offered
a prompt every Wednesday. One week we
had a prompt inspired by a series of books, Six
Word Memoirs. The idea is that you share your story in six words. It’s not as easy as it may sound. How on
earth do you sum up your entire life in six little words?
Surprised: by love, by motherhood, by happiness.
That is my story.
I was 21 when I met my husband. I had no desire to be
married. In fact, my entire relationship goals for my senior year consisted of
wanting to go on a date, just one date, which I didn’t regret the next
day. I had shared this goal with my best
buddy before we parted ways the summer of 2005. He rather sarcastically pointed
out I might have more positive dates if I actually, you know, said yes to a
date once in a while. So, it was with my friends snarky comment ringing in my
ears that I agreed to let some guy I had just met buy me dinner after our first
shift together waiting tables.
The whole thing was a bit of a whirl wind. We met on a
Monday night August 29th, 2005. We ended up hanging out every night
but one that week. Looking back we both
admit to the fact that there was no real interest or physical attraction after
the first night we met’ however, for whatever reason, we kept finding excuses
to hang out.
A drink with friends.
Back-to-school dinner at my house.
A new movie at the dollar theater.
Helping his buddies move.
Two weeks after our first meeting he asked me to be his
girlfriend.
On our first date he told me he was falling in love with me.
Two days later he said he wanted to marry me.
A week after that he said “I love you” for the first
time…..Four hours later I told him I
loved him.
Friday December 9th, 2005, with my parent’s
blessing, he asked me to be his wife.
My husband is a sales man. He has been his entire adult
life. Sometimes people ask him if he is
any good. He usually smirks a bit and tips his head in my direction, “I
talked her into marrying me. You tell me.”
Some women may find this insulting, but I personally find it
hysterical. Seriously, how on earth did he talk me into marriage in the three
short months of knowing him? The answer is not a short one. I don’t have space
here to describe how he went about winning me over. It was a million things.
And when you put those millions of things together, I felt more loved then I
had in my entire life. How can you say no to persistent, gentle, instant?,
self-sacrificing love? Maybe some are strong enough to walk away from that, but
for me, saying yes was the only answer.
I wasn’t looking to meet someone, or get married, or settle
down, or have kids, or move into a southern suburb and become a stay at home
mom. But that’s what happened. It has
been eight years since I met my husband (seven since we got married) and each
step of the journey has been a huge surprise to me. But the biggest surprise is
the overwhelming contentment, happiness, and joy that have come into my life as
a result of his irresistible love.
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