The Beginning...

I've been reading a blog from a man who just recently lost his wife. They met when they were 8 years old, and were childhood sweethearts. It has impressed and touched me as I've read their story that he not only shares his feelings for his sweet wife, but that he's compiled an incredible story to share and leave with his family. 

SO I thought that I'd start to share our story. How we got here...looking for our missing piece. As simple as sharing our story may be, maybe it will be just for us, for our family down the line, but maybe it may be for the help of others. Who knows!

 Let's start at the very beginning, because that's a very good place to start! And as with every story, there's always two sides...here's Steve's...

"Jamie and I met online. Now before the gasps of sacrilege fill the room, especially from those who believe in traditional courtship, please know that I had to fight for this woman.  

In the realm of online dating, especially the pricey sites, folks are matched up via compatibility quizzes and such. I had recently been through quite a horrific divorce and I was looking for someone who not only loved the Lord, but who had a combination of brains and a love for art if at all possible. Well, when I stumbled upon Jamie’s profile, which read: “Geologist by day, photographer by night.” I was intrigued. I couldn’t see a picture. I hadn’t paid for that privilege. But as cheezie as it may sound, something felt good about this girl. Little did I know, this lady was thinking of me too. But in a different way. As Jamie was going through her matches, she came across my profile, amongst a supposed plethora of others. But instead of wanting to know more, the lady clicked “delete.”

As I was admiring the words on her description, an orange flashing button popped up on my screen. I was so ewed and awed by this person I hadn’t seen, that I happily clicked the big flashing button without realizing that the words on the button read “permanently delete.” The follow up message revealed to me what I had done. I think I literally slapped the computer monitor across the face. I couldn’t believe what I was reading. I panicked. Stopped. And panicked again. I truly believe the Lord was telling me: “Man, you messed up the plan on this one.” Something just felt amazing about this girl. So I tried to find her, searched what information I had and nothing came. A note popped up saying that Jamie had chosen to delete me and that by accepting, contact with Jamie would not be possible. I panicked again. “What have I done?” I contacted customer service and asked what could be done. They told me that I could write to Jamie via customer service and ask to reinitiate contact. Jamie would have to accept the communication and also choose to accept or reject my request. The catch was that in order to send her the message, I would have to be a member. Things became a little more tricky. Where these sites get you is by giving you a deal for multiple month memberships vs. a one-time membership. Membership for a month would cost me almost $80. I thought about it. What if she were to reject me? I prayed about it, thought about it some more, and I did it. I wrote her a nice little message about my blunder, how I wanted to get to know her..."