Young Love (#42)

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Just as Nate and I were moving happily toward engagement, my old boyfriend called again.

Memories of him had been fading, because my thought-life was filled with Nate and our bright future together. The boyfriend’s phone call threw me for a loop, but after we hung up, I gave it some rational thought and saw a pattern. Though we didn’t have a lot of contact, he did call every few weeks, which always pulled me back into the relationship.

He didn’t want to come between Nate and I but did want a friendship to continue. The problem, however, was at my end. Such a friendship would come at a high price for Nate and thus for me, too, and my greatest longing was for a marriage that would thrive in every way.

line-in-the-sandSo, for once I used common sense. Surely God was answering Nate’s daily prayer request for guidance. And I knew it was time to draw a line in the sand.

Rather than get together socially as he called to do, I drove to his house to tell him face-to-face that Nate and I were about to get engaged. There would be no room for another guy-girl relationship in my life, and so he and I needed to terminate all contact. He didn’t think it had to be that way but said he would honor my request.

It was a difficult task, but it got done.

June 24, 1969 – Dearest Meg. It was a taste of dolce vita the last time we were together. A walk late on a June evening with you is everything. Meg, I love you. Kisses enclosed. P.S. Quit giggling, my little brown bear.

encouraging-lettersJune 24, 1969 – Dear Nate. Your letters are so wonderful and encouraging to my missing you. You are such a stable, well-organized person (even in your thought-life), and oh how I need help in those things! You and I will help each other in many ways. But more than anything, I need you as my partner. I love you dearly, and I’m confident that as the months pass when we are together, we will love more, love deeper, and love in a way that cannot be replaced by anything else, ever. I will always need you and always want you in every way. I love you!

June 25, 1969 – Dearest Meg. Your engagement ring should arrive at your apartment in a few days. Don’t open it! It’s hard being away from you, but I do want to sacrifice to defend the United States of America so that Meg can be safe and so we can live together in liberty. I love you with every fiber of my being. The ultimate in my life is marrying you.

June 25, 1969 – Dear DEAR Nate. I miss our talking times and especially our prayer times… more than I ever dreamed I would.

fireworksJune 26, 1969 – Dearest Meg. Tomorrow I have KP – up at 3:45 AM and work to 10:00 PM. But that means 4,5,6 July will be completely free. I’ll drive into Topeka on the morning of the 4th and leave the evening of the 6th. Thanks for all the wedding planning lists. You’re a big help now and will help me in the future as a lawyer and lieutenant!

June 26, 1969 – Dear Nate. Guess what! I got my Corvette back!!! It’s an absolutely WILD tale of how the Chicago police found it and how they caught the 2 idiots who stole it. I’ll tell you all about it!

“Joyful are people of integrity, who follow the instructions of the Lord. Oh that my actions would consistently reflect [his] decrees!” (Psalm 119:1,5)

Young Love (#41)

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Nate and I continued our long-distance courtship with pen and paper, growing in frustration over not being able to be together. But the thought of a reunion over the 4th of July kept us both going. And if it included a proposal and engagement, so much the better!

parental-adviceOur 4 parents were concerned that we wouldn’t have a chaperone over that weekend, and his parents wrote to Nate, suggesting we invite my folks, or Mary and Bervin to join us. They said they would have volunteered but had important commitments at home then and were unavailable.

Neither Nate nor I wanted any chaperones on that special weekend, so we didn’t invite anyone. Though we’d be staying together in a motel room, we’d made up our minds to hold off on intimacy until marriage, and were determined to resist the temptation.

helmetJune 22, 1969 – Dearest Meg. I’ve been out on bivouac for 4 days. We fired rifles all day and slept in tents at night. We put water in our helmets and shaved out of them. I just learned that the letters I wrote to you for three days last week were held till Wednesday by the Army before being mailed. I love you so much that I nearly cry when I realize that I can’t be with you. But Jesus Christ is so real to me here. I talk to Him privately all day long. Our faith is the only way for us.

June 23, 1969 – Dear Nate. Thinking about our wedding and planning for it makes me feel closer to you. I’m thankful you are asking for help about the groom’s duties. I’m enclosing a list of things grooms do, just for your general information. You certainly don’t have to follow it to the letter, but it gives you an idea of what to expect. And since your brother is also in the military and won’t come in till the last minute, you’ll probably have to do his “best man” duties, too.

kissesJune 23, 1969 – Dearest Meg. I love you so much. Thank you a billion times for your wonderful letters. And thank you for the postcard with the kisses on it. I especially like what you wrote on the back, that I don’t have to pick, because I can have them all. We got New Testaments today in church. I read through James and half of Romans. I’m also thankful for the Bible you gave me. Like the song says, “You make me so very happy!”

June 23, 1969 – Dear Nate. I wrote your folks to thank them for visiting my parents and driving all that way. It worked out perfectly, and I’m amazed at how timely it all was. So far, everything has gone right. By the way, any time you have had a rough day or been treated unfairly or just want to ask questions about wedding plans, feel free to call me collect (if you can get to a phone). I’ll gladly accept any charges and will tell my roommates not to accept, if I’m not at home.

June 24, 1969 – Dearest Meg. Thank you for taking care of my books and clothes while I’m gone. I think of you every minute. Your blue eyes, beautiful hair, and warm body. I’m really lucky to be marrying you, Meg. And I thank the Lord I can love another person so much. We are running 5 miles every day, but much harder than that is being away from you, my Love. Good luck during this last week of school.

“Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.” (Proverbs 3:6)

Young Love (#40)

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quare-boxAs Nate’s and my engagement drew closer, his focus was on procuring the ring before the 4th of July so he could propose when I came to Kansas. But with the military’s spotty record of handling mail, he worried the precious package might never reach him. His father thought it best to mail it to me instead, and said it would arrive in a plain box with no special insurance markings indicating something valuable inside. As he put it, there was less chance of theft that way.

This all made me nervous, but with so much mail coming to my address, the mailman and I had become friends. I trusted him to do his part well. Meanwhile, I was still teaching kindergarten (until June 27), and Nate was marching to the beat of a military drum. And since my Corvette was gone, I was driving a rental.

June 21, 1969 – Dear Nate. I’m still mad about losing my car, but am learning something about myself. Though a car is worth hard-earned money, it’s probably not ok to get as attached to it as I was. It actually made me nauseated to think about it, and I felt like calling in sick. That’s probably not good. But, leaving that depressing subject behind, how are you, my love?

June 21, 1969 – Dearest Meg. The thought of you waiting for me makes this Army stuff seem alright. I often think of the moment we parted. I would like to call you, but there are no phones in the barracks. Last time I called I waited 40 minutes to be able to use a phone, and then no one answered at your end. So I will just keep writing.

June 21, 1969 – Dear Nate. I think of you night and day, just constantly, and wish I had the power to exempt you from Army camp or else move to Ft. Riley to be near you for these 6 weeks. But this will be the worst of it for us. From here on out it will be togetherness all the way! How interesting that you ran into a law school friend down there. I hope your sergeant is nice. I’d like to hear all about life in the Army.

June 21, 1969 – Dearest Meg. I’ve been working on the ring. It looks like my dad will be mailing it to YOU. But don’t open the package! I’ll open it when I propose. I love you so much it hurts! (…and I’m writing this letter in line, in the rain.)

shoppingJune 22, 1969 – Dear Nate. I’m getting all excited about our wedding! I’ve bought a couple of BRIDE’S magazines and am getting all sorts of practical ideas for both of us. I would love to have a formal wedding with the guys wearing cut-away coats and white gloves, and the women in long gowns, including our mothers. That would make it fun for them. But anything I suggest is subject to your changes. That goes without saying.

June 22, 1969 – Dearest Meg. I thank the Lord every day and night for you and our relationship. I love you!!!! I’m so lonely for you that I fight tears when I think of our long separation. Thank you for tending to the details of our wedding. About the ring – I will open it and put it on your finger. I feel like our coming engagement is very real, and I know it is of God.

“The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him.” (Lamentations 3:25)