love at first sight...january 31st
he was only there for a couple of days...just to see his brothers & sisters...being the youngest and the only one in the U.S., he got a bit homesick...though he didnt have much his family gathered up money for him to at least spend the 'chinese' new years together...this was his first visit back since he moved out to the other side of the world 2 years before...he was excited to be back...for some reason he knew there was something special about this trip...life changing...God was going to reveal a lot to him...something in his gut told him that someTHING great was going to happen...what he didnt expect was that it would be a someONE... one of his older brothers worked for the city government building and as he was walking with him...he saw HER...her smile was radient, her presence beaming, and her laughter contagious... on the other side of the office...she felt someone staring at her...she had been to her father's office plenty of times...she knew everyone...spent time with them sharing concerns, conversation, tears, and even practical jokes...she really cared for the people who worked for her father...but who was HE? she knew the other gentlemen was an advisor to her father...but that other person was unfamilar...yet intriguing... february 17th
who wouldve thought...only within 17 days...just from one quick glance and one brief stare...both of them knew that they had found their soulmate...how quick...how surreal...but when the pastor announced them, 'husband & wife'...they knew their dreams had come true... later that night...
he had gotten her a gift...giftwrapped she was not allowed to open it until their first dinner as 'ONE' at their honeymoon...it was heavy, but it didnt rattle...she was excited...'could it be make up? could it be a jewelry box?' she was so anxious... dinner had finally come...he went on ahead to the restaurant to make sure their reservations were in order...she came later...with the gift tightly secured in her arms...dinner went on...she was getting fidgety...then he finally let her open the present...she was NOT pleased... 'A BIBLE!? i told him i was buddhist! he said he would leave me alone about my religion if only i married him in a church! how dare he!?'...she was upset, gave him a look of disgust...even more so because he was so quiet and calm...he just took the Bible and opened it to where the marker was...he told her to read the part that was highlighted...'Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.' (ephesians 5:22-24) 'what kind of person did i marry?!'...she questioned...at this point she was infuriated...him still quiet & serene...she was about to leave the table...bursted into tears...he grabbed her arm...and the next thing he said was something she had never heard before...'as my wife, all you need to do is the highlighted part and i will do the rest of what this passage says...as your husband i will love you, protect you, serve you, guide you, and even die for you like Christ died for us and His church...i will forever love you...do you trust me?'
she had never heard or even read those words before...it was a weird feeling...as if something finally clicked...she was crying even more at this point...but not out of anger...out of utter gratefulness...tonight was the beginning of true love...in all aspects...what a wonderful husband...what a wonderful God...she answered, 'yes, i trust you' 29 years later...
every year around this time...she would open that same Bible that her husband had gotten her the very first night she understood what love was...as she recollected on the past year of marriage and even their whole journey together...she felt an overflow of blessing...'through the good times & bad'...she could not imagine anyone else to be my her side...her loving husband...but most importantly a loving Heavenly Father this is my favorite love story...
happy 29th anniversary umma & appa...
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