My Mom-ents: Divine Introduction

I don't know why I'm surprised when a homily at church applies to me--He knows the words I need to hear long before I do. Last Sunday, our priest talked about marriage and how married people are called to fulfill our "assignment." After we say "I do," we need to spend the rest of our lives "getting married." Not just that day. Long after the cake has been cut and the dance is over, we should spend the rest of our lives getting married to each other. (LOVE that!) He then asked: "How did you meet?" which is always a fun, nostalgic trip back in time. And it was VERY fitting because we got to spend this weekend in the college town where we met fifteen years ago.

Since graduating in 1998, I think we've been back to Homecoming once. We usually get the flyer and it goes directly to the trash since it's a four hour drive. Something made me open it this year. And I immediately saw that Doc was retiring. Doc was my husband's mentor in college. R worked as an athletic trainer under Doc for the men's basketball and football teams. After forty six years, Doc finally retired. I knew we had to go. So we left the kids at my parents' and headed out to ESU.

I went to a community college for two years before transferring to ESU. R was in my VERY first class at ESU--which I would have already taken had it been offered at AC. I remember seeing him, but I was dating someone at the time (and so was he.) Then I kept seeing him every Sunday at the Catholic campus center which really impressed me. What kind of guy goes to mass every Sunday when he's away from home? I remember thinking he just looked like a good guy. Flash forward to the next semester. We were both single and I literally ran into him at a club. My two roommates at the time were on the track team and they spent the next few weeks hounding the blonde haired guy in the training room to call me. They came home one night to tell me it was his 21st birthday and he had said that I should come out. Well everyone I knew was either 1) back home for the weekend or 2) staying in because of a track meet the next day. This gal went out to the clubs ALONE just to see R. And then sat at the bar all night and talked to him. (He was taking it easy after living it up the night before when midnight rolled around. ha!) I even made up some lame excuse about my "friends" finding other ways home just so I could give R a lift. He invited me to his birthday party later that weekend, and then an official first date the next week. And here we are.

Last Sunday, Father said that the more important question was not HOW we met, but WHY. WHY did we meet? Why did God bring us together? Looking back, there were so many "coincidences" that had to be God. I should have already had that general ed Developmental Psychology class. I wasn't even supposed to be living with the track girls, but my previous roommate moved in with her boyfriend and I needed a new place to live. (Ironically, my old place was right BEHIND R's complex... ) Why were R and I at the exact same place at the exact same time? Where we just "happened" to bump into each other (and I got to use my oh-so-smooth pick up line: "Hey, weren't you in my Developmental Psych class?) :) I didn't know it at the time, but God was working things the way He always does. Quietly, purposefully, perfectly.

With each passing year, I'm realizing more and more what a gift he is and I'm SO grateful for the chain of events that brought us together. I'm blessed.