Newlywed Love (#16)

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December 31, 1969

As 1969 moved into 1970, Nate and I quietly brought in the New Year alone-together, in our little apartment, satisfied to be tucked away rather than at a party, a fireworks display, or even a church service. Life would pick up speed soon enough, starting with Nate’s January finals in law school.

Nate retrieving firewoodOn New Year’s Eve, we had our supper on the floor in front of a cozy fire and recounted all that had happened in the year now ending.

He and I had gone from pen pals into a dating relationship, to an engagement, and then into marriage. I’d left my teaching post in Chicago as well as my apartment and roommates, and he’d finished his commitment as a dorm counselor at the university.

I had said goodbye to friends and family, then moved to Champaign. He’d moved from dorm room to rented room to our apartment. I’d driven a Corvair, then a Corvette, and then had no wheels at all. He’d gotten his first car, a VW.

I began teaching a grade level I knew nothing about, and he’d put another year of law school under his belt. With all this going on, to bring in the New Year with gentleness seemed just right.

Back in Wilmette, Dad was moving through his last workday on the 31st, before his official retirement. He was 70 years old and had dropped one weekday of work each year for five years, retiring in a slow and orderly manner. He and his partner, another Mr. Johnson, had built a Chicago engineering/architectural firm from the ground up, nurturing it from just the two of them into 250 draftsmen with building projects all over the country.

Dad at his deskTheir firm had designed and built everything from churches to factories and had had a successful run. We were all proud of him. Coming from an immigrant family where no English had been spoken till Dad enrolled in school at age 6, he had done well. And it was time to rest.

I had asked if he was nervous about that last day, wishing he could work a while longer, but he had said it was just the opposite – “time to get out of the rat race.” I was glad for him. He’d even married off his “wild” daughter to a stable man, which must have helped his new sense of freedom. I had put him through his paces, especially as a teen, and was grateful that after all our “wars,” he still loved me.

Winter beauity.As for Mom, she wrote in her diary:

It’s so beautiful. I stood by the window and cried. Snow falling – colored lights on evergreen. O God! Your gift!

I think she was referring to Jesus having come to earth, but it could have just been a sense of overall wellbeing.

 

Mom's emotions

And I had to agree with her. Life was indeed beautiful, nearly to the point of tears, and oh so full.

 

“…. pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap.” (Luke 6:38)

Newlywed Love (#15)

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December 29, 1969

During this golden time of togetherness without any traveling or visitors (or even classes), Nate and I moved through our days as if in a dream – a shared dream that had come true. We couldn’t get enough of each other and frequently found ourselves back in the comfort of our “new” bed, just wanting to hold onto each other and murmur sweet words.

M and NAs we came to December 29 and our first month anniversary, we agreed that our every expectation of marriage so far had been met and surpassed. We knew life probably couldn’t continue indefinitely on that idyllic level, but as long as it did, we planned to relish every minute.

Despite our financial struggles, we decided our anniversary called for a dinner out. We went one step above McDonald’s to a restaurant called Lum’s that had a similar menu. At least at Lum’s we didn’t have to eat in the car. But we drew the line at purchasing gifts — too expensive.

Nate told me he thought we could borrow $100 from the University of Illinois to get us over our financial hump… the equivalent of about $650 today. We prayed about it, hoping we were doing the right thing. Behind our borrowing was the hope that once Nate graduated from law school, he could earn enough in his first job to dispose of the debt.

Both sets of parents also offered to match the university funds, partly because they wanted us to pay a carpet layer to put down the donated (used) carpeting they had shipped to us. They assured us they wouldn’t need the money back any time soon.

If Nate could find a decent part-time job in January, we figured we could chip away at our debts — along with paying our regular bills – while he was still in law school.

Borrowing

Meanwhile, we never doubted God was taking care of us and made a point to ask him for guidance in every decision. And as we nervously made plans to borrow this “pile” of money, it was good to see that Nate credited the Lord as being the One who put together the rescue from our immediate dilemma.

Borrowing.

“Blessed is he whose help…. is in the Lord his God.” (Psalm 146:5)

Newlywed Love (#14)

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December 28, 1969

Our quick Christmas trip to each other’s families had been worthwhile and fun, but then we got to “go home” with just each other. We were both thankful for a few more days before our school schedules resumed…. and all that time apart.

Nate, who made a habit of clipping articles I might enjoy, gave me this one:

Sage advice

Those were my sentiments exactly, and we planned to make the most of our few quiet days together. Recreating some of our early dating weeks, we bundled up and took long walks in the snow.   (Below, December 1966)

Snowy walksAnd when we returned to our little “nest,” we coined a new word: snestle. It was the combination of snuggling and nestling, something we did a lot of during that carefree time.

Sitting on the floor between the light of our Christmas tree and the flickering fireplace, we made the momentous decision that when spring came, maybe we’d get…. a dog.

 

Our fireplaceBuying a little red stocking (half-off after Christmas), we hung it on our mantle between our bigger ones and admired the look of it.

One of the long talks we had during this time was about finances and our lack thereof. My small “country” salary always found us short, and we’d begun borrowing small amounts from both sets of parents, $50 here and there, to get through each month.

This made both of us uncomfortable, and though we were giving blood on a regular basis for $25 a shot, they wouldn’t let us give more than once every 6 weeks.

Also, we were still struggling along with one car after selling the Corvette, and with my long commute, Nate was the one usually left scrambling. Dad had promised we’d get back to our car search in January, and we wondered aloud how we could possibly swing that big purchase, plus licensing and insurance.

Our conclusion was that Nate would hunt for work, and though I wondered how he could hold a part-time job and still do well in school, he was confident he could make it work. He suggested slowing his studies — attending fewer classes while working a job. This would make for a later graduation, but it was one way to conquer the problem.

MacaroniWe weren’t worried. Talking quietly together in the afterglow of Christmas gave everything, even tight finances, a promising feel. Meanwhile, we increased our intake of hot dogs, baked beans, and macaroni. At least I knew how to cook them.

“The Lord protects all those who love him.” (Psalm 145:20)