The Heart of My True Love

My daughter came home from school upset yesterday.   A young man who has been a friend for the past two years pronounced his love for her and she had to tell him that she didn't like him that way.  He is angry at her and told her he wouldn't be speaking with her again.  He has done this before when he is angry and she is hurt that she lost a friend and feeling guilty that she hurt him.  I reassured her that she did the right thing.  That if she only wants to be his friend, she needed to tell him that.  But I also warned her against the type of man who finds the need to say hurtful things when he is angry.  I assured her that some day she would meet a young man who would have the character traits that were desirable.

I met my own young man in the fall of 1986.  I was 24 years old and Dan and I both attended seminary and he was a year behind me.  Our first meeting was at a softball game the school had for all the incoming students.  We were on opposite teams and shared a glove.  I remember his intense blue eyes and the feeling like he was staring at me every time he gave me the glove. 

After that, I would only see him here or there and that was it.  I didn't know him and our paths had no reason to cross until the following summer when most of the students went home.  We both were part of the handful of students who stayed behind to work at off-campus jobs.  There was a shared kitchen in the dormitory and I would see him there most evenings as we were coming or going to cook our meals.

Late one afternoon I was walking across the parking lot towards the dorm when Dan leaned out the window and asked what I was doing.  I remember telling him I was bored and then he asked if I wanted to go out to dinner.  I made sure I let him know I was paying for my own because I didn't want him to think it was a date.  :-)

However, from that evening on I was attracted to him.  He was attentive, funny, sweet and thoughtful.  We went on our first official date a few weeks later and we both just knew we had found our mate.  We started dating in July, were engaged in November and married the following June.  We will be married 27 years this coming June.

My true love's heart is pure.  He is kind and patient.  I can remember twice in our 27 years of marriage when he really got angry and believe me, I had it coming!  lol  He asks for forgiveness.  He loves the Lord.  He loves his family and would do anything for them.  I very rarely have seen him in a bad mood.  I can trust him.  He has never done anything to make me doubt his love for me or done anything to cause me to feel insecure around other women.

I love him with all my heart.  As I counsel my daughter on the type of young man to seek, I have counseled her to look for someone with some of the character traits her dad has.  She can't go wrong if the heart of her true love is like her father.