Newlywed Love (#101)

Posted on November 3, 2017 by Margaret

September 21-26, 1970

Each week seemed to be busier than the one before, and Thursday of this week would include the 3 hour drive to Chicago and back for Mary’s surprise baby shower. She was due in two weeks, and there was no way I was missing this fun evening. Besides, my knitted sweater and hat were ready, and I couldn’t wait to give them to her.

Nate didn’t think it was wise to drive a 300 mile round trip for a couple of hours at a party, but I just had to go. My had principal refused to give me a day off, either that day or the next, so I planned to teach and then leave straight from school.

That part didn’t bother Nate, but thinking of me driving home late after a long, tiring day seemed to him like a recipe for falling asleep behind the wheel. “It’s risky,” he said.

But he knew how much I wanted to go, so the only solution was for him to go too – which he willingly offered. I tried to tell him I’d be fine, but with 4 driving accidents on my record, he didn’t like the odds.

Once I knew he’d be joining me, the plan became twice as fun. We agreed I would drive on the way while he studied; he would study during the event and then drive home.

The shower took place at a glamorous Chicago apartment in a glass-walled high-rise with a beautiful view of Lake Michigan. Mary was genuinely surprised when she walked in, and we loved showering her with gifts and good wishes.

The devotional, given by a friend named Judy, described mother- hood as a privilege and children as gifts. As I listened, I day-dreamed of becoming a mother… but knew it would have to wait for some distant day.

The dinner-shower went longer than we anticipated, and when Nate and I finally pulled into our Champaign neighborhood, it was nearly 3:00 AM. In my journal I wrote, Both of us were grogged.

Just a few hours after we’d fallen into bed, I was up and off to Danville for an all-day education workshop, hard to take on 3½ hours of sleep. I dozed through much of it and was bleary when I finally got back in the car to drive the 40 miles home.

As I drove up the ramp to get on I-74, a car behind me was tailgating so close I couldn’t believe it hadn’t bumped me. Noticing two young men who loomed large in my rear view mirror, I figured they must just be in a terrible hurry.

Once we blended into traffic, I expected them to go around me, but they didn’t. They stayed tight to my rear bumper no matter which lane I changed into or what speed I drove.

On top of that, my car began making a strange noise, seeming to resist my foot on the gas pedal, and I got scared. If I had to pull over, I knew those guys would pull over right behind me.

(Conclusion tomorrow)

“He will order his angels to protect you wherever you go.” (Psalm 91:11)

Newlywed Love (#98)

Posted on October 31, 2017 by Margaret

September 10, 1970

The week after Labor Day would be a short one for me with only 4 days of teaching, but for Nate it would be a week overloaded with research and writing.

He seemed to be studying around the clock, so I resurrected my knitting needles and began a sweater and hat set for our first niece or nephew arriving to Mary and Bervin in about a month.

Not knowing if it would be a boy or girl, the color choice was difficult. I decided to buy whatever was on sale and ended up with lavender yarn – not that great for a boy, but still I had a 50/50 chance. The pattern I chose had a bright yellow duck on the front, so I hoped that would tip the outfit either way.

When I asked Mary if she would rather have buttons down the front or a turtleneck, her answer was an education for me. “Babies don’t really have a neck for about a year.” We shared a laugh over that and decided on a crew neck. If I knitted every evening, I would have both items ready for Mary’s surprise baby shower on September 24.

Nate’s study-stress was mounting, so one afternoon when I came in from work I suggested we pack up our dinner and have a picnic at nearby Hassle Park. He was game, so while I was frying some chicken, I packed up together what we had on hand: tomatoes, apples, oranges, and coffee.

Despite the odd menu, I knew a break in our routine would be good for Nate, and once we got there, I had a special surprise to lighten his load. At school I’d been writing down some of the crazy comments my kindergarteners had made, saving them for a moment when we needed a laugh. I tucked a few of those into our picnic bag, and once we were settled at the park, he began munching chicken and I read aloud.

~~~~~~~~~~

Michelle said, “My sister is bigger than me.”
“What grade is she in?” I said.
“Threeth.”

~~~~~~~~~~

After a group bathroom break during which I stayed in the hall to monitor both the girls’ and boys’ doors, one little guy came running out saying, “There’s a boy in there standing so far away from… that… thing… that he’s going to the bathroom all over the place!”

As I read my notes to Nate, He began grinning, wanting to know each child’s name – which I thought was cute.

~~~~~~~~~~

Michael loved giving me hugs at every available opportunity so I said, “Do you give your mother nice hugs like you give me?”
“Oh no.”
“Why not?”
“She’d lose her balance and fall right over. She’s really old.”

~~~~~~~~~~

During our classroom unit on the 5 senses I said, “Now, let’s try to name all 5 of the senses. Who can name one?” Joanna blurted out, “A sense of humor!” I thought that was pretty good.

By now Nate was chuckling.

~~~~~~~~~~

Melissa had been paying close attention to the religious instruction she’d been getting. “I got some beads for church,” she said. “They’re plastic.”
“Oh that’s nice,” I said. “What do you do with them?”
“I count them like this: 1… 2… 3… See? But I can’t count that loud in church.”
“Why not?”
“I’ll mix up the other people on their numbers.”
“Couldn’t you count your beads at home?”
“No, only in church… in the back row. That’s where God lives.”

~~~~~~~~~~

And by that time, Nate was laughing so hard he had to pull out his hanky to wipe away his tears. Laughter really is the best medicine.

“Worry weighs a person down; an encouraging word cheers a person up.” (Proverbs 12:25)

Newlywed Love (#83)

Posted on September 26, 2017 by Margaret

August 7, 1970

By the end of the week, my summer school commitments had come to an end. No more student teaching or seminars, and I was one step closer to official certification. Despite my initial bad attitude, I’d learned a great deal and was eager to try it all out on my kindergarteners when the school year kicked off after Labor Day.

Nate’s summer wasn’t going as well. The paper route was an increasing burden, and because of it, he was behind in his law classes. “I have to eliminate something,” he said. “I’m just not sure what.”

Being hard-up for money helped make the decision. We still had hope that if he kept the paper route, many of his customers would eventually pay-up, allowing us to become solvent again. By now he was owed $500, a sizeable fortune.

And so he dropped one of his classes, a disappointment to him and also to me, since it meant his fall semester would be heavier. But dropping a class wouldn’t harm his record, and rather than doing poorly in both, it would be better to do well in one.

Since my schedule was being freed up, I took over his billing nightmare for the route, figuring out what each customer owed, writing out the envelopes, and putting them in order according to Nate’s 60-mile route. Because organizational chores were rock-bottom on my skill-set list, it took till 3:00 AM to get the job done the first time.

Nate kept pestering people to pay their bills and was gratified when any of them came forth with any amount at all. But by the end of the week we were still in debt for newspapers and rubber bands – a total wash for 5 weeks of labor.

Being responsible only for his Estate Planning class, though, turned out to be satisfying for him, and he was able to catch up — confident he would bank an “A”.

At the end of the week we got word that Bervin, Mary, and my brother Tom were all coming to Champaign for my birthday (August 8). We loved having company and knew their visit would be a joy. Bervin had just secured his pilot’s license, so they planned to rent a plane and fly down – a thrilling development! We would be at the small Champaign airport to pick them up.

Nate’s family called too, saying they’d love to come for Nate’s birthday the following week (August 18) – his parents and brother Ken. So, with all these reasons to celebrate, we drove to nearby Lake of the Woods where the two of us picnicked, sunned, and swam, letting all the woes of the week wash away.