Once upon a time there was a young maiden who made a big move across the country to live with her father in the wild west. She lived with him once before, a few years back, and had courted a young man at the time.
This young man had recently come back into her life, and so the maiden returned to the land of her father to see what might become of this relationship.
One Sunday, when the maiden attended a church service–alone, for, alas, the young man she was getting to know didn’t always attend church with her–she spied a handsome prince across the sanctuary. The maiden was struck by the tall, dark, rakish man but chided herself for noticing him. Though he never looked her way or noticed her in the crowd, she stole a few glances at the prince thinking first, “Be still my beating heart.” But then, upon noticing his cowboy boots of which she was not fond, “Oh, but he’s wearing cowboy boots.” *internal shudder*
The following Wednesday, the church offered a variety of classes. The maiden selected her topic of choice, found the correct room, and took a seat, busying herself by putting some money in an offering envelope and slipping it into her purse. In a few minutes, someone sat down beside her.
When the maiden glanced at the stranger, her heart did a little—okay huge–somersault. She was looking into the big, brown bedroom gorgeous eyes of the stranger she had spotted on Sunday! *gulp*
She twitched a nervous smile and then averted her focus. No cowboy boots today, she noticed. And she was also aware of his muscular arm, with its constellation of freckles, which rested on his leg so close to her own. Inside, a war began between loyalty to her new beau and chemistry which now sparked tangibly from this stranger’s mere proximity.
When the teacher stepped to the front of the class, the maiden pressed into the lesson, willing herself to forget the internal conflict. Thankfully, as the class wound down, she felt much more in control of her thoughts and could almost laugh at the silly reaction she’d experienced.
Before the class was dismissed, an offering was taken up. Rather than pass a collection plate around to the dozen or so attendees, people were asked to pass their envelopes to the person on the end of the aisle, where an usher could collect it.
So . . . that’s what she did. The maiden slipped the envelope from her purse and passed it to the handsome prince. He grasped it for a mere second and dropped it in the brass plate.
Now, you probably expect to read that when the prince grasped the envelope, something akin to an electric shock passed between them. Or maybe his arm brushed hers in the process, and gave her goosebumps.
No, no. Nothing like that.
You see, the front of this envelope held three things: name, address, and phone number.
Little did the maiden know that in that space of that one second transaction, the prince had MEMORIZED HER PHONE NUMBER FROM THE OFFERING ENVELOPE.
Yep! Indeed, he had.
He went on to introduce himself after class, and it was all the maiden could do to act nonchalant and fain calm politeness. However, the next day when her phone rang, things began to get interesting . . .
Although there are a few more twists and turns to the story (for instance, the following week when the maiden’s beau decided to come to church, and became uncharacteristically jealous when he met the prince, and then apologized for being jealous but explained, “the two of you just looked like you belong together”).
And let’s not forget how the maiden’s father who, upon meeting the prince moments after the phone number theft, turned to his daughter and said, “He wants to marry you.”
Long story short, six weeks later the maiden broke away from her beau, courted the prince who in turn proposed. A mere thirteen months after the stalking incident he sneaked her number, the two were married in the sanctuary where the maiden had first spied the handsome prince.
He did not wear cowboy boots for the ceremony.
And . . . September 2019 will mark THIRTY ONE YEARS since that prince stole this maiden’s phone number, October marking THIRTY YEARS of happily-ever-after.
Oh, and the prince wears cowboy boots to work everyday, and the maiden thinks he is handsome as ever!
What’s your love story? I’d love to hear how you met your significant other!!!
This was so sweet! As soon as you said what was on the envelope card I knew why it paused for a moment in his hand — I’ve never seen THAT one in a book! 😀 Thanks for sharing! Happy early thirtieth! From the beginning of knowing you I’ve loved seeing/hearing how much you and Billy love each other and how much he’s supported your writing. I remember one FB release party he was there, wrapping up comments and “herding” us all onto the next question. He’s a keeper! So blessed to see how God has blessed you both. 🙂
I don’t have a prince yet, but my current MC is beginning to interact with her future husband (their first meeting she kicked him in the face and tried to strangle him) — does that count? 😀
Aw, I’m glad you’ve been able to glimpse how special Billy is (& how supportive!). He’s definitely set the bar high for our three daughters! The Lord has been faithful to bring along two equally good men for the oldest two. He also will bring you your Prince Charming in His good time. I do hope it’ll be in a less dramatic fashion than your current MC 🤣. You need to shoot me an email and tell me what you’re working on!
Aw! Your love story sounds so adorable!
Thank you!
Adorable!!!! 💝💝💝💝💝
Thanks, friend!
Great story! I first “met” my future wife when she came to Sunday school one Sunday morning with another family who had invited her. I noticed how cute this young girl was but promptly put aside any romantic thoughts. She was much too young for me. I think she came back the next week and then missed for a month or two, maybe longer. Eventually she came back and started attending Sunday school and worship on a regular basis. Some time later (all this was so long ago that I can’t remember whether it was a few months after her first visit or if it was the next year), I had noticed that one of my buddies started sitting with her in church. I naturally assumed he liked her. This was now in the fall of 1962. Often between Sunday school and worship, some of the teenage boys would go out on the front porch of the church and chat for a few minutes. One Sunday, we were outside and I got this bright idea of rushing into the sanctuary ahead of my buddy and sitting beside this young gal to make him jealous. We have been sitting together in church ever since. On December 15, 1962, we went to the Sunday school class Christmas party for our first date. She was 16 days from turning 14 and I had turned 16 in August. We got married on June 25, 1966. In a few months, we plan to celebrate 53 years of marriage.
Aw, Edward! That’s such a sweet love story 💜. Way to outwit your buddy! I guess 53 years of marriage later, you really showed him! 😉. My husband and I are 7 years apart. When we met I was just 19, so that did give him pause—but he obviously got over it!
Heather,
I loved this story! It’s so good.
My story happened 36 years ago.
I had just come home from one year of missionary work in Japan. I changed churches because the church I’d gone to before, I didn’t connect with, so I went to a larger one. One Sunday I went forward for membership and noticed a nice young Asian man walking in front of me. We went down to some classrooms and I tried to see if he had a ring on his finger. He didn’t. We then were in the new member’s class and I tried to impress him that I had just been to Japan. All he heard was that I was a pastor’s kid and thought NO WAY! But I won him over!
I like to tell my story a bit differently: Sorry it’s a bit long!
When I was just out of college, I felt God was directing me to the mission field. (You know…the mud huts and villages kind!)
Well, I signed up for a mission group and the first call was for teaching college-age students English in Japan.
Now you have to understand I’m a PK (Pastor’s Kid) so as I grew up we had many missionaries from Asia come to visit, and they were only old ladies. I never wanted or liked their stuff. So, I had decided I’d NEVER be like them.
When the call came in about serving in Japan, I thought NO WAY….there was the part that I was just out of college myself and it was to work WITH college students. So, I politely said, “Do you have anything else?”
They came back with….. “If you know sign language and were musical then the missionaries in ….(You GUESSED IT)……..Japan, could really use your help.”
Okay, I could go for this! Because I did know ASL and was musical. So, I got excited and started going in that direction. Little did I know ASL isn’t what the Japanese deaf people speak. Oops!
A few months later after I was telling everyone I was going to work with the deaf in Japan. Early one morning, I got a call from the mission board. They said the missionaries needed someone who actually spoke and knew Japanese sign language because it’s so different from ASL. (American Sign Language, DUH!) They then quickly said, “How about working with grade school students up to adults, teaching them Conversational English…….In Japan.” My heart was broken because I’d always wanted to work with people who are deaf, and I didn’t want to cry all over the phone, so I said, “Yes.”
But in my mind, I’m thinking, “Lord, If in a week, I don’t feel a peace about this then I’m calling them back.” I immediately called my mom and dad to ask for prayer, then went to work. At work, I told a dear Godly lady and asked her to pray. WELL, by the end of the day I had such a peace about it all I knew this was where I needed to be.
So, I went to Japan. Spent a year there and fell in love with the people, the culture, and the food! So much, I didn’t want to come home.
When I came back, my life had changed and so did my church. I started going to another bigger church and soon met a nice young man. (He is a third generation Japanese.) HEHE!
Moral of the story and How God directs:
If I hadn’t decided to step out in faith and go where God wanted me to. (And NOT where I felt I should.)
Then,
1. I wouldn’t have fallen in love with the people of Japan.
2. I wouldn’t have fallen in love with the culture of Japan.
3. I wouldn’t have fallen in love with the food of Japan.
4. AND I wouldn’t have fallen in love with my husband who I’ve been married to for 36 years. Had four wonderful children, two dear added children through marriage, and two sweet granddaughters.
I AM BLESSED! My life verses are Proverbs 3:5 & 6
Beautiful love story! Equally telling of God’s sweet love for you and the Japanese. I love how both you and your husband to be, at one point, said NO WAY! God’s definitely got a sense of humor 😊. Happy 36 years!
Hi, Marylin! I loved reading your story, even the long version. 😉 Thank you for sharing! I hope you don’t mind my asking, did you and your husband go back to Japan or stay in the States? I’m in grad school and don’t have anyone special in my life yet, but I’ve been to Spain twice and have always loved anything Spanish (even Latin Spanish as well). That said, I appreciate hearing how God can lead through our desires/loves, whether it’s into ministry or into a marriage.
I’ll make sure Marilyn sees this.
Aw, that’s such a good story!
I met my hubby in college – he knew my roommate from high school and was one of the only guys in our circle who had a vehicle so we’d all pile in the back of his pickup for trips to Walmart. He’s a bit ADHD and I was so mega-shy that I tended to come across as a snob (still do sometimes). It didn’t take long for me to develop a secret crush – he always cared so much about making sure others were happy and I had noticed his unselfishness. He would be bored and call our room just to chat and one day my roommate was like, “I’m busy – talk to my super-shy roommate instead” and stuck me on the phone with him.
He’s got the spiritual-gift of discernment/judgement/prophecy (I’ve heard various terms for it but basically he’s good at reading under the surface of people and knowing the right things to do or say.) so he coaxed me into gradually opening up and within a few months, he was the closest friend I had ever had (and ever will) and shortly after that we realized we were a couple.
He moved to Waco, TX halfway through the next year (his father was ill) but we continued to talk constantly – cell phones and free long distance would have been nice back then, we spent hundreds of dollars in phone-cards every month – and visited each other once or twice a year. Saying goodbye each time was harder and harder.
He came to my graduation and proposed, and moved to my home town a few months later so we could plan our wedding. The best of all of that being no more good-byes.
That was 16 years ago this March. After a year in FL, we spent 5 years in his home-turf Wyoming, 7 years in South Dakota, and returned to my Florida 3 years ago. And I’m forever grateful for the boy who took the time to draw me out of my shell and get to know the real me hidden inside. <3
What a beautiful story and what a wonderful, kind man 💕. How sweet that you first noticed his unselfishness! A rare and attractive trait. You two have really trekked across the USA too!