31 Days of Gratitude- {Day 24}- When I Became his Girlfriend

In the fall of 2005, I was totally enamored with a young man.  A young man who I had tried to hard to push away because I had promised God that my semester in Europe would be focused on Him and Him alone.  And yet, everytime I pushed the young man away and embraced the Lord more, it seemed that God would bring him right back.  

Little did I know that the same process was happening for that young man.  He too, wanted to focus his semester on delving deeper into his spiritual life.  Yet the more he sought God, the more God seemed to push him in my direction.  

We both went in different directions for our 10-day break, and did a lot of soul-searching and praying for clarity.  

And days after we got back from that break, 10 years ago today, the young man took me on what I consider to be our "first official date".   There is an Eastern Orthodox hymn to the Mother of God (Theotokos) called the Akathist.  I had discovered it in a small chapel that the LCI (Eastern European students) program was in charge of.  I have never found the exact version they did there, which makes me a little sad, but I keep searching.  Anyway, that sweet young man had heard me gush excitedly about his beautiful chanted prayer and decided to go with me one evening.  The plan changed quickly though because the Akathist had been cancelled.  :(  Instead we prayed a rosary together in the little chapel decorated with lovely icons.  Then we went for a walk to "discuss our group of friends' plans for our upcoming 5-day break"  We did discuss that briefly, but it was just a ruse to get me out for a walk.  We stopped at a lovely little bridge and he excused himself for a second leaving me there to gaze down at the water still glimmering just a bit despite the fact that dark was practically completely upon us.  And when he returned he had a lovely bouquet of roses and asked me if I would honor him by being his first girlfriend.  

Well, 10 years later, married for 7 years with 4 sweet little kiddos, you can guess what I said and who that young man was.  

I love you, Christopher, and I'm so blessed by you.  We aren't perfect, and we have so much to learn and so many ways to grow, but I'm so thankful that God brought you into my life to journey with me to heaven.