At Last

Isn’t it funny how you get to a point in your life when you are sure that you have “leveled out”? You are still striving and working for things; you are still looking forward to the future; but you are relatively secure in the foreseeable future and content with it the way it looks. This is where I found myself a mere three months ago. Content in my job as a high school history teacher; content as a single woman in her early 30s; content living in my small basement apartment alone. Little did I know that a field trip with 25 wild and crazy teenagers would forever change the course of my life and bless me in ways beyond measure.

For three months ago on that field trip, Terry Jones walked into my life – at a time and in a way that seemed to be ordained by God. Looking back at the last three months, I see an amazing progression of ordered steps, for there is no other way to explain the perfection of God’s timing. In the beginning I found Terry to be a smart and talkative companion – one I had so much in common with and with whom I was eager to spend more time. As our relationship progressed, I found him to be kind, considerate and caring in so many areas. When tragedy struck my life on December 20th of last year, he was my safe place. He was always within reach to talk, hug, cry or just be. As 2008 began, I would find myself thinking that I wanted a life full of beginnings with him. Over the last couple of weeks our discussions have turned to the future and with more and more confidence we began to express our desire to spend our future together. On Wednesday, February 6, 2008, he asked me to marry him and I have never been so happy to answer a question in the affirmative as I was that day.

For those of you who have not had the pleasure of meeting my fiancé, let me say that you are truly the lesser for having missed the opportunity. He is an amazing man - one who loves God, his family and me with a sincerity that is rare. I am truly blessed to have found him and to have been found by this wonderful man. Those of you who know ME, know that I am not known for my romantic notions, and may be surprised to read such gushy prose coming from me, but know that I truly never imagined that I would experience a love like this. As I said at the open, I was content in life and confident I would remain as I was. Now I cannot imagine a life without Terry in it and I will thank God every day for the gift He has given.