Category Archives: God’s plans for us

Newlywed Love (#90)

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August 20-21, 1970

 

SURPRISELynn was adorable at her bridal shower. We caught her completely off guard, which met the highest expectations for our surprise party.

She loved our entertainment, the “This is your Life” tape complete with tales of her past and a few surprise guests. Mom had pulled out her best dishes and silver, and Lynn’s bridesmaids had shared in her work.

GiftsLynn unwrapped a mountain of goodies, and the whole event was pure pleasure. The only negative, mine alone, was having had to leave Nate… again. With the newspaper route and his difficult law school class, that had been our only choice.

The 24-hour separation was difficult, and I looked forward to the upcoming school year with its regular routine. My hope was that the second year in our Champaign “nest” would be as blessed as the first.

A year earlier in August of 1969, our apartment had looked far different. Footsteps and voices had echoed in the empty space, and stale paint had covered the walls. We’d done the work of transforming it from a drab place to a warm home, and now the whole space reflected the happy relationship unfolding inside.

As I drove the familiar route from Wilmette to Champaign knowing Nate was waiting for me, I was filled with a sense of contentment. There wasn’t one thing I would change about our lives together.

Nate greeted me with a long-stemmed red rose. “I missed you so much,” he said, handing me the pretty flower and nuzzling my neck. The feeling was definitely mutual.

Just arrivingWe still had one more special event before summer officially ended – a visit from Florida friends Carole and Reggie. Carole and I had much in common. We met at Wheaton College and both ended up teaching school in Chicago. Her city apartment had been near mine back then, and we both attended the singles ministry at Moody Church. Our two romances had heated up simultaneously, and both couples married in the fall of 1969.

Carole had a gorgeous singing voice and often soloed in church and at weddings. Now they were driving from Florida to (of all places) Danville, Illinois, for her to sing at another wedding. We were thrilled when they said they could spend a night with us.

HemmingWithin a couple of hours of my arrival back from Wilmette, they and we were settled around our dining table sharing stories of married life and love. After dinner, Carole worked on hemming the dress she would wear at the wedding, and the boys adjourned for sleep. She and I talked well into the night, almost till morning — 4:00 AM! Close friends never run out of things to say.

Not long after breakfast, though, Nate and I were giving and getting goodbye hugs on the street in front of our building — yet another farewell.

Saying goodbyeAfter waving them off, we sat on the porch steps in the morning sunshine talking about the multiple changes of the previous year, acknowledging there were more to come. We and most of our friends were in a phase of life that required continual change and included lots of goodbyes.

As we climbed back up the stairs hand-in-hand, we wondered aloud how long that phase was going to last.
“If you make the Lord your refuge, if you make the Most High your shelter… he will order his angels to protect you wherever you go.” (Psalm 91:9, 11)

Newlywed Love (#88)

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August 12, 1970

 

Behind the wheel of our brand new Fiat, I set out for Champaign by 8:00 PM and couldn’t wait for Nate’s expression when he saw me driving something other than the Mustang. So I called him before I left, to be sure he would wait up for me. “I should be home around 11:00,” I said, not saying a word about our phenomenal gift.

With the convertible top down on this warm summer evening, I set the radio to my favorite music station and looked forward to 3 hours of get-acquainted time with the car.

Car radio.

Heading toward route 57, I remembered something Dad had said years earlier. “A new car shouldn’t do any high speed driving till after the first 100 miles.” I wondered if that was still true with the modern cars of 1970. Just in case, though, I decided to follow that advice.

Driving at about 40 miles per hour, I watched one car after another go around me and hoped I wouldn’t be rear-ended by someone not paying attention.

Police light.The miles clocked by without incident, though, until I saw a flashing light in the rear view mirror. Hoping it would roar past in pursuit of someone else, I was disappointed when the light stayed on and slowed to 40 mph – staying right behind me.

Pulling off to the shoulder, I couldn’t imagine what I’d done wrong. Surely he couldn’t pinch me for going too slow. Route 57 wasn’t even a super-highway, so people didn’t have to go fast.

Normally I would have gotten out of the car to greet the policeman when he came toward me, but I’d been driving without shoes and had a vague memory that barefoot was illegal.

The officer’s first words were, “Where are you going in such a hurry?”

I assumed he was joking but didn’t want to chance it, so gave him a serious answer. “I’m driving home… to Champaign.”

“At a snail’s pace?”

“Well… this car is brand new, and I don’t want to hurt it. I think I’m supposed to drive slow for the first 100 miles.”

“Is that so?” he said, taking a flashlight from his belt. He leaned toward my dashboard to check the odometer – 73 miles.

Bare feet“I’m almost to 100,” I said, hoping he’d commend me for being so careful. But as he pulled his flashlight back, its beam crossed over my toes.

“What’s this?” he said. “No shoes?”

“I trust in God, so why should I be afraid?” (Psalm 56:4)

Newlywed Love (#87)

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August 12, 1970

 

Lynn and kitty.Before I waved goodbye to Lynn (left), I called Mom and Dad. They were fresh back from their Canadian vacation and enthusiastically invited me over – anxious to share pictures and stories.

When I arrived, my thoughts were on our Baron, and I couldn’t wait to cuddle him again. So when I walked in, it was upsetting that he didn’t appear. “Where’s our puppy-dog?” I said, feeling nervous.

“When we left for Canada,” Mom said, “the plan was to drop him at Mary and Bervin’s to spend the week playing with Russell. But Tom said his good friend David who adores Baron, as you know, had asked if he couldn’t please keep him instead. With Russell still trying to get used to his new home, we thought that arrangement would be best.”

So Baron was in Chicago, and though I knew David well and trusted him completely, it was a disappointment. Mom and Dad were planning to retrieve him as soon as they next went into the city. Maybe it was good they didn’t have to care for him for a few days.

The giversMeanwhile, Mom was bubbling over with the joys of their Keswick trip and wanted to share every detail. Dad, too, had positive comments about their time away. Over an afternoon snack of cheese, toast, and grapes, I caught up with all their news and was glad I’d come.

 

 

Then, just when the conversation gave me an opening to bring up our problematic Mustang, Dad took the floor again. “Your Ma and I bought a birthday present for you. It’s for Nate, too.” I found it unusual that Dad mentioned a birthday gift, since that was Mom’s department.

Then without pausing he said, “We bought you a Fiat.”

“What?” I said, completely stunned.

Before I could think straight enough to respond, he continued. “The dealer says he’ll take the Mustang off your hands, too. I told him all about the fumes, but he still gave us credit for it — eager to seal the deal, I guess.”

I was astounded. What a gift! Nate would be shocked, too!

More than likely Dad reasoned it would have been many years before we could have paid him back for the car, and we still owed for the Mustang (a debt he let stand). Whatever his thought process had been, I was grateful for it! He assured me he’d given matching funds to Mary and Tom to “keep things even,” and they, too, had been surprised and overjoyed.

Our mid-afternoon table-talk ended with, “You can drive it home tonight if we can get there before closing.”

Dad and I hurried out to the Mustang, and with wind whistling through open windows, made it in time. When they brought the Fiat around front for us, I couldn’t believe my eyes. It was a twin to the one Nate and I had ogled-over in Champaign — black convertible top with hunter green body.

The new car

I decided not to warn Nate ahead of time so he could receive the same wonderful, whopping surprise I had. And I could hardly wait!

“The Lord brought me out into a spacious place.” (Psalm 18:19)