....And the two shall become one.....

This has been a rather interesting year for me. The beginning of the year I was finalizing a divorce. And there was no way I was looking for another man in my life! True, I was on a Christian singles site...but I was there just for friendship, and the support of other who had been through similar experiences to mine. I enjoyed the site very much, especially the chatroom, and made many, many friends...both women and men.

It was great, too, because most of the people in the chatroom are willing to pray with anyone, any time. Their prayers helped me through my separation and divorce process.

Well, sometime around the end of February or beginning of March, a man joined the site, and began frequenting the chatroom. He was from the Baton Rouge area. My folks had taught in a Christian church school back when I was in high school, so I knew the area sort of. We began chatting, talking about things we like, don't like, etc.

Now, in my profile, I had put for the age range I'd be interested in, as 5 years younger to about 10 years older than I am. And he had put in his profile, up to 5 years older than he is. Well, he was 6 years younger...so that kind of left a one year gap for each of us! LOL

I was greatly attracted to his sense of humor, as well as his passion for Christ. And even though we tried our hardest to chase each other off (by telling all of our bad traits, faults, flaws to each other), an attraction began to grow.

The beginning of April he upgraded his membership, so we could exchange personal email information with each other. Then we began IMing each other every evening (after he got home from work), until way later than we should have been. We talked about everything, and it was amazing to see how much we had in common. Similar goals in life. Similar desires for serving the Lord. A strong passion for children. And, yes, we told of the painful things we had gone through in our past marriages.

We began making plans to meet during Memorial Day weekend. First we planned to meet in Pensacola, which would be about halfway, because he had a stepson stationed there. But his stepson decided to go home that weekend. So, the boys and I decided to drive all the way to Baton Rouge to visit him and his daughter. My daughter was gone with my folks to Texas, to visit my brother and his family.

Now you would think I would be nervous about going to meet a man I had never met before....but I felt like I was going to see a lifelong friend! And even my 17 yo son didn't feel nervous about it.

It was a fun weekend. I hated to see it end. But it inspired me to get a webcam for my computer, so we could IM using it, and eventually he got one for his computer too.

In July, my daughter and two little boys met JR and his daughter in Tennessee, to spend a week together in the Smokies. It was the first time the two girls got to meet. They seemed to hit it off fairly well. And we had a very enjoyable week. At the end of the week, JR proposed! And, frankly, it was hard to say good bye at the end of the week. I wanted to just go back to Baton Rouge with him then!!

It is amazing how quickly and strongly love can grow...even when you aren't looking for it or expecting it!! But when it is God directing everything....

We made another weekend visit in August. Then he and his daughter planned to visit us in Florida for Labor Day weekend.--But hurricane Gustav was bearing down on the Louisiana gulf coast, and he had to stay home, to work. He is a broadcast engineer, working for a TV station in BR; he is on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. When there is a storm coming, he has to stay home, in case he has to go in to work, to service the transmitter.

On Labor Day, the children and I attended a church picnic. It was a good thing; otherwise I would have been at home, watching that storm approaching, and getting so nervous. He was at work, and his daughter was with her grandparents. I went to bed that night, and slept fairly well....but when I woke the next morning, and saw, online, the devastation the storm had caused to Baton Rouge.......I just cried! Still, I tried not to worry, and trust God that my beloved was safe....Well, you can see in posts I blogged earlier, just how things went for him.

So, in spite of the fact that we had planned to marry in October....well, the storm changed everything!! We had to delay the marriage ceremony, indefinitely.

Finally the end of September the children and I were able to make our way to Baton Rouge, to visit JR...and help clean his place up, get the tree cut up, etc. A man we had met online and who lived in the area, came and cut up the tree, with the help of my 17 yo. We spent nearly two weeks with him. We also looked at houses during that time; found one, and made an offer on it.

Closing was set to take place near the end of October. But it didn't happen then! He wanted us to get married in Louisiana...but after he had closed on the house in Mississippi. Well, he still hasn't closed on the house. He did, however, receive an addendum, stating he could have possession of the home. He did sell his mobile home; closed on it in November. So then we had to make plans to marry in Mississippi. So, the kids and I came over to help him clear out his mobile home, and help him move into the house. Later my folks arrived with a load of our stuff, too.

Finally, we both got our blood tests taken care, the marriage license applied for, and the minister lined up to come perform the ceremony!!

The evening of December 19 was that special moment. The minister arrived shortly after JR and his daughter arrived home from work. He filled out his part of the paperwork on the marriage license. Then opened his Bible and read to us:

22Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.
23For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.
24Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.
25Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;
26That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,
27That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.
28So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself.
29For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church:
30For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.
31For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.
32This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.
33Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband. Ephesians 5.

He expounded on these verses a bit, and charged us to follow God's word as stated here. Then we repeated our vows, and were pronounced man and wife! The kids cheered!! LOL And my kids immediately began calling JR, "dad/daddy"...and his daughter even began calling me "mom"! LOL

I am still amazed at how God brought us together. He is so totally AWESOME!! And I pray every day that I will be the wife JR needs, and that God wants me to be. Pin It Now!