An Amazing Love

Recently I had the opportunity to see the movie entitled "Nights In Rodanthe" starring Richard Gere and Diane Lane. The story unfolded about two strangers (both gorgeous) who met by chance in an incredibly romantic setting (a beach house with multiple balconies facing the ocean on an isolated strip of beachfront), who discovered they were "soul mates" and shared a brief encounter that resulted in an amazing love. Like most of the women in the audience, I enjoyed the movie not just because I was watching it, but because I was living vicariously the part of the beautiful woman swept up into the arms of the dashing stranger, dancing on the pier, sharing moments of in-depth conversation and crazy abandon in the blue room. I experienced the whole range of emotions with the actors and when the movie ended caught myself thinking about their relationship as it pertains to real life....my real life.

My thoughts went back thirty-three years (from today, Oct. 5th, 1975) to when I first met my husband. No one was more "swept up" into a relationship than we were. He was a tall, handsome military man with a smile that lit up my world. He held my hand and stole my heart. We were young and neither of us had ever had a serious relationship before. Our first few months together was a whirlwind romance that turned into a brief courtship. Just four months later we exchanged vows in a military chapel witnessed by a few friends and family on Valentine's Day in 1976. Although our courtship was brief, our romance has lasted. Unlike the movie where the characters weathered one storm, we have stood strong through many. We've endured times of great affection and moments when we hardly spoke to each other. We welcomed three babies into the world and cherished every moment with those children throughout the years. Although our life together has been free of major catastrophes (no terminal illnesses, no direct hits by hurricanes, no separations, etc.), it has not been without struggles. Our difficulties came with everyday things like jobs, finances, schedules and attitudes. Our challenges were met with a spiritual strength derived by a faith we had in common from the start. Now that our children are grown and we are pretty much alone together again, we find pleasure in the little things and the quiet moments we share. We now have history with cherished memories. We've shared the joy of seeing our children become the responsible adults that they are. We treasure our grandchildren and the moments spent with our family. Whereas the movie portrayed a couple that enjoyed a very unrealistic "romance," their fantasy love had little in common with our extremely real, and truly..... amazing love.