Young Love (#65)

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With Nate’s Army camp graduation only a week away, we could envision the day when we wouldn’t have to “converse” in letters but could talk face-to-face. Meanwhile, I “borrowed” another old photo from Mom’s albums, since Nate seemed to enjoy them. There was much we still didn’t know about each other’s childhoods.

tom-and-margaretJuly 17, 1969 – Dear Lover. Enclosed is another “oldie,” this one of Tommy and me on a family vacation in St. Petersburg, Florida – 1950. The dress is a bit revealing, but I didn’t have much chest to hold things up in those days. Today Marti and I talked hour after hour, some of that time cooling off at the beach. I wish you could have unlimited water like that, too. Only one more week and it will be yours! You’ve done so well there – in attitude, stamina, and spiritual faithfulness. What an encouragement and strength you are to me for being those things. The Lord surely must be smiling on your every effort.

July 17, 1969 – Dearest Meg. I’m so proud when my friends here ask me about you. I know my fiancée is the finest in the universe. I am so anxious to marry you! And I have loved your descriptions of what life will be like when we are married, your stories. You have an excellent imagination and ability to write. And thank you for working so hard on wedding plans. Don’t let yourself get overwhelmed. We’ll make the rest of the decisions in August. Deciding things together isn’t so difficult.

July 17, 1969 – Dear Nate. I think I found my bridal gown, the one I’m going to get! I tried different veils on, too, so beautiful. Mary, Mom, and Aunt Agnes all went with me, and we made a party out of it. It was so much fun. The only problem was that as I stood looking at myself in a 3-way mirror all ready to walk down the aisle, I wanted to marry you immediately! It’s so hard to wait.

encouragementJuly 17, 1969 – Dearest Meg. Thank you for the many greeting cards and tremendous letters you’ve sent. When I get those words from Meg on a bivouac at night after chow, my morale soars. Thank you very much. I’m sorry my letters take so long to get to Chicago. I get yours in about 2 days. And I love every one of them!

July 18, 1969 – Dear Nate. Dad and I had “the wedding talk” about money. I asked if I could have the same amount of money as Mary had, and he said something that proves how strongly he approves of our marriage. He said that whatever I spend is up to me. He just said I should use common sense and after I do, I can get whatever I really want. So I’m going to run out and buy that gown I want! He’s the greatest – and so are YOU!

July 18, 1969 – Dearest Meg. We had a hard day in the field today. After all day in the hot sun, they botched up the water supply. Each of us got only one cupful from afternoon to evening. That was a little nasty. Also, one of our flares set off a grass fire, so we had to work hard to put that out. Your letters after all that were the best morale boost in the world! Every day my love for you grows. Everything about you pleases me.

July 18, 1969 – Dear Nate. We are breaking heat records here in Chicago – 98 degrees with humidity just about as high. I feel for you in heat like this. But I pray that the Lord will continue to be a refreshing energizer to you. He’s aware of every bit of your suffering, pain, or even just discomfort, and sympathizes, because He went through all of that Himself and more… all the way to death. I know He appreciates your positive attitude through it all. And I do, too!

“Love and faithfulness meet together; righteousness and peace kiss each other.” (Psalm 85:10)

Young Love (#64)

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Although we had “said it all” in letters to each other, Nate and I never tired of reading the “I love you’s” and “I can’t wait’s.” We wrote of our undying devotion to each other many times every day, doing our best to bridge the distance across 3 wide states that separated us.

It was satisfying to envision the life we would have together. Unfortunately, we had none of the actual details: a place to live, a way to support ourselves, the wherewithal to make these changes, or a timetable. Although we thought we were moving forward, none of the important things were being decided. And the days were ticking away.

looking-aheadJuly 17, 1969 – To my wonderful Fiancé. I love you afresh this morning as I awake to a new day of life, bursting with thoughts of a partnership with you, my favorite of all men. I have chosen you above all others. And somehow, by God’s grace and love, even before I was able to choose you, you chose me. I can’t even express my gratitude properly on this sheet of paper. I will be so grateful, day after day, year after year, for you loving me first… long enough and strong enough (with very little encouragement in the beginning), to allow me eventually to make up for the time lost, and love you in return. Oh boy! Do I ever love you!

July 17, 1969 – Dearest Meg. In our last phone call, when you said that if you had the power to change anything about me you wouldn’t, I was overwhelmed. That thought has stuck in my mind. It has stayed with me through all my hours of sleep and is the first thing I think of each morning. I’ve thought about it all through writing my letters to you and still retain it now. Thank you so much for saying it, and thank you forever for feeling it! I reciprocate all your love and would never change one thing about you, either. Oh how I love Meg!

July 17, 1969 – Dear Nate. How can I ever adequately thank you for what the mail brought to me today – 14 postcards, 3 letters, and a special delivery letter, all in one day! Today I was thinking back to our very first meeting in the Evanston “Huddle” restaurant with our college friends. I was so impressed with you that night, but who would ever have thought that we’d go from ice cream sundaes all the way to marriage! Just beautiful….

china-silver-crystalJuly 17, 1969 – Dearest Meg. Thank you for sharing with me all the details of the wedding planning. I like to envision you shopping for your gown, invitations, crystal, glass, and china. Let me know all the wonderful details. I respect your taste and choices a great deal. When you say you’ve bought some new clothes, my desire is to see you model them immediately. And when you say you’ve bought a peignoir, I about go crazy. You’re a beautiful woman, so sexy and desirable.

July 17, 1969 – Dear Nate. If you were in this room with me right now, would you ever get the loving! I feel physical affection only toward you! I got a hint at what our wedding gifts might be like last night. I was up at the folks’ house with Mary and Bervin. They had brought a trailer to remove all of their wedding gifts from the parents’ house in preparation for their move to the smaller house, and you should have seen the boxes! After dinner with the parents, we took all these gifts to a locker in a warehouse Bervin has downtown and stacked them up – a giant wall of boxes! It sure was fun to spend time with them. Our project took over 4 hours, but we messed around a lot of that time, too. You were greatly missed. Can’t wait for us to be a foursome — one that will last for many years!

happy-foursome

“Wait for your God always.” (Hosea 12:6)

Young Love (#62)

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Although the distance between Nate and I was taking its toll, graduation and the end of his Army stint were finally coming into view. We could also see God’s gifts of encouragement and blessing in each day, things like my mother’s letter to Nate and all 4 parents having embraced our plans to marry in November.

I still didn’t have a teaching position in Champaign, but that didn’t stop us from planning to move me down there regardless, even if I had to go back to waitressing. We were done with being apart.

rose-colored-glassesNate began to wax eloquent in his letters as he described me, writing down his every positive thought. Of course he was looking through the rose colored glasses of a passionate love, which made some of his statements enormously exaggerated. But I’ll share them here anyway:

 

July 14, 1969 – Dearest Meg. I want to tell you something I’ve known for quite a while but am first writing here. Due to my mother’s and grandmothers’ decency, probity, grace and faith, I have always had a high idea of women in general. My standards for dates have inevitably been high – both in terms of morals and manners. Meg, you have surpassed any of my best dreams!

banana-splitJuly 14, 1969 – Dear Nate. You just called me! I am so exhilarated that I feel like running out and buying a banana split! You couldn’t possibly have called at any better moment. Tonight I needed a conversation with you more than ever. I feel like enclosing a check, not necessarily to pay for the phone call, but just because you are terrific, and I want to express it by giving you some money! I love, love, LOVE you, and I’m yours completely, now and forever.

July 14, 1969 – Dearest Meg. You have surpassed my dating standards for these reasons: you are religious without being religiose, arrogant or preachy; you demonstrate your faith; you are generous with your time and physical affection; you understand my needs, wants, and aspirations; you comfort me and build me up; you’ve never have a snippy period without an apology, obviously genuine; you are a beautiful woman… with only a few faults, all outweighed by virtues; you are physically attractive yet not vain; you always compliment my looks and clothes, which makes me receptive to your suggestions on grooming; and your creativity astounds me. Oh, I love you!

sparkling-ringJuly 14, 1969 – Dear DEAR Nate! A short while ago, as I was driving home with my hand on the steering wheel, the sun caught my ring, and all the colors of the rainbow flashed up at me. It’s so beautiful, and I love it so much! Thank you for giving it to me!

July 15, 1969 – Dearest Meg. Today I’m thinking about your regard for your folks and their feelings as you go home to help them prepare for their move. I love your elemental Christian concern for them. I also admire your respect for your aunts and my folks and your solicitous inquiries about my brother. You are a considerate woman. These are just a few lines from your weekend warrior, fiancé, true love, future husband and father of your four babies – an extra letter to let you know I realize and appreciate your virtues and believe in you, feel totally secure in you, and miss you so bad I could cry like a little boy.

“The fruit of the Spirit is… patience.” (Galatians 5:22)