More Than a Valentine


It's been forty years since Bill and I spent our first Valentine's Day together.  We had only known each other for a month or so, but it was long enough for both of us to realize that we might be spending a lifetime together.

We had met in the middle of January at a Methodist church in Lincoln, where we had both been asked to play guitar and lead singing for a weekend Lay Witness Mission.  It was funny, really, because we knew many of the same people, who assumed that we already knew each other, too.

I remember the first time I saw him, as Bill came in the door of the church on that bitter cold Saturday, red-headed, bigger than life, wearing a bulky down jacket and "waffle stompers"--boots that made his feet look even bigger than they were--and carrying his guitar.  For a split second, it was as if God was shining a spotlight on Bill, just for me to see, as if to say "Here he is!"  I remember feeling mildly astonished, and then totally unconvinced that God would have focused my attention on Bill in that way. 

Bill and I attended two different colleges outside of Lincoln, just a few miles apart.  He called me a day or two after the Lay Witness weekend, and it wasn't long before he was calling me every day, and driving over to see me several times a week.  He didn't have money for anything besides gas for his car, so we took lots of walks, and spent plenty of time in my dorm's dreary basement lounge.  That's where we were one weekend afternoon, sometime around Valentine's Day, when Bill surprised me with the first gift he ever gave me.

It was a small, black, wooden cross, hanging from a length of black thread.  Bill had carved it for me himself, from a piece of ebony that he had originally intended to use to repair a guitar.  It was a fitting first gift, because it represented the two things that brought us together, God and music.

Eventually, we bought a gold chain for the cross.  I wore it on our wedding day.  I still wear it often.  That little cross was much more meaningful than any Valentine card that Bill could have bought for me, and better than flowers or chocolate, those more traditional Valentine's Day gifts.  It was a promise for our future together, a symbol of Jesus' love for us that forms the foundation of our marriage.  Forty years ago, this simple cross necklace was more than just a Valentine.  Now, forty years later, it remains a tangible reminder of the one who loved us first.


We love because he first loved us.  1 John 4: 19

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Three Weddings and Too Many Funerals

Image
It's been fifteen years since my middle daughter, Meagan, married Andy. Fifteen years of living and working in and around Gering, and five, almost six, children later, everyone they know would say that they are happily married. Their wedding was big and formal, and held in our church, like many weddings were then, at least here in Gering, with a sit-down dinner and dance afterward at the Civic Center. They both grew up here, and were well-known in the community, so many local people attended their wedding. In addition, they each had large extended families who were willing to travel quite a distance to be present for their big day. It was a memorable day, for sure. Fifteen years ago, our family was quite small. They both settled in to teaching, living in an old house on Andy's family's farm before building a house at the same location about ten years ago. Now, Andy continues to teach at Gering High School, while Meagan has been focusing her teaching skills on her own childr
Read more

Introducing Anna

Image
Anna Elizabeth Tyler was born almost three weeks before her due date, at 10:53 a.m. on Monday, October 30th, 2023, in Columbus, Ohio. She weighed 5.45 pounds, and was 17.25 inches long. Her entrance into this world was more dramatic than we had hoped, since she had to spend eleven days in the NICU to monitor her breathing. But, after the initial scare, she is nursing well and growing appropriately at home. Anna at just a few days old Anna is the only one of our eight grandchildren who has spent any time in NICU. At one month of age, she is still small, but she is finally outgrowing her preemie clothes and moving on to newborn sizes. It's hard to be more than 1200 miles away from family when they need help, but contemporary forms of communication make that much easier than it used to be. Nevertheless, Bill and I were glad to join our daughter, Erin, her husband, Reed, our grandson, Will, and baby Anna, for Thanksgiving. We got to see for ourselves how their whole family is thriving.
Read more

A Little Covid

Image
Like so many of you, I am tired of hearing about Covid-19. As I look back to 2020 and the intervening years since then, I can't help but think that our government, along with many others throughout the world, may have overreacted, insisting on too many, perhaps unnecessary, restrictions. However, the fact remains that I am currently quarantined at home because, for the first time, I officially have Covid. I would never have known I have Covid except that it morphed into a sinus infection. So, I dutifully made my way to Urgent Care because I knew I would need an antibiotic to get over it. And, of course, I had to have a test to rule out Covid and Influenza A. Except, even though my vaccinations are up-to-date, the test was positive for Covid. My Covid symptoms have been minimal, probably because I’ve been vaccinated: some fatigue, some sneezing, and a headache that won't quit. Initially, I passed off those symptoms as my normal allergy symptoms, aggravated by the windy condition
Read more