The Fairy Tale
Shane and I talked of marriage before Shane left for Europe, but neither of us were really ready to literally jump into marriage.
He left to serve in Europe as part of an anti-terrorism team.
That year was hard for us both. He had crazy hours with little sleep. I got my dream job, moved to Birmingham, and got involved in a singles’ group.
We talked on the phone weekly. I visited him Christmas and we toured England and Scotland.
Then in August, he payed for me to come visit him for my birthday. We had a great time in London sightseeing and going to plays. He also flew me to Paris for a weekend trip to celebrate my birthday. We toured all the hot spots- The Louvre, Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, Champs-Eleysses, and visited The Palace of Versailles.
Yet, Shane was preoccupied with something besides the beauty of Paris or me the whole time.
Finally, the morning of the last full day in Paris we went and sat in the middle of the Notre Dame Cathedral to pray (I think we went there every morning for prayer). We were surrounded my hundreds of tourist as he grabbed my hand and led me in prayer.
Then he turned to me and asked me if I would marry him.
Of, course I said, “Yes!”
So, he gets down on his knee, put the perfect ring on my finger, and asked me to marry him.
I said yes again. At that exact moment, music filled the Cathedral as a choir began to sing. Their voices sounded like angels. We were surround by hundreds of people yet we were in our own little world. The rest of the day we were swallowed up by the beauty and romance of Paris. It was a magical day. At the end of the day, we decided we should call family to share the good news.
Six months later we were married at the church where we first met.
Shane return home the day before Thanksgiving.
We didn’t have a church home in Birmingham, so we went to a professional marriage counselor for premarital counseling. I was glad because he was able to talk to us about how being abused as a child can trigger emotions as an adult. We talked about issues that we were both bringing into our marriage. The counselor gave us insights and tools to help start our marriage with a strong spiritual foundation.
Being married was great! It was so much easier than dating. We enjoyed being together.
I had my dream job. Shane was getting adjusted to being back at his job and taking on leadership roles. We were both very career driven and we loved that about each other in the beginning.
We found a great church.
And they lived happily ever after... living their American dream.
Yet, the jobs that drove us would drive us…
His mouth is most sweet, and he is altogether desirable. This is my beloved and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem. Song of Solomon 5:16 (ESV)
This is the song we prayed bent knee on our wedding day.
