A Boy and A Girl

Once there was a girl.  She was young and naive.  She was shy and sassy.  She was a happy girl.  She was a girl who was feeling her way through the world.  A bit intense, at times.  At times, a bit too serious.

One day that girl saw a boy.  He walked by that girl and he didn’t notice that girl at all.  She noticed, though.  Her eyes trailed after him and she wondered. . . who is that boy?  Weeks went by and that girl saw that boy almost everywhere she went.  But that boy?  That boy didn’t see that girl.

One day that girl went to a meeting.  She walked into the room and sat down and when she looked up she couldn’t believe her eyes.  That boy?  That boy was sitting across from her.  That girl tried to contain the flutters in her heart.  That girl did her best to be cool.  But that boy?  That boy still didn’t notice that girl. 

Fate would not be denied.

That boy and that girl?  They were selected to be a part of a three person committee.  That boy and that girl?  They were required to meet together.

So they met.  They sat around a tiny round table and finally that boy noticed that girl. 

They talked and they laughed and it was easy between that girl and that boy.  That girl noticed the way that boys eyes crinkled in the corner when he smiled.  She laughed at the way he poured honey over his Wheaties.  She noticed the way he slouched when he walked and how he seemed to never be in a hurry to get anywhere. 

She noticed that the boy was just cool.

That boy and that girl?  They decided to meet outside of their “meetings”.  They walked and they talked.  They walked and they talked a lot. 

Hours turned to days.  Days turned to weeks.  Weeks turned to months.  That boy and that girl?  They knew what they had was special. 

One day that boy took that girl to a beautiful place.  The sun sparkled through trees as that boy sang to that girl and got down on his knee and said the words she dreamed of hearing. . . will you marry me?That girl and that boy began to plan.  They walked and they talked and they made plans for their future.  The talked of the places they would go and the things they would do.  They dreamed of  travels and successes.  They set goals and made plans and pictured an idyllic life that would be fueled by love.

That boy and they girl?  They were young.  They were naive. 

That boy and that girl said, “I do” and embarked on a life that was nothing like they’d planned.  They moved from one place to another and figured it out as they went.  They experienced let downs and failures.  They experienced heartache and confusion.  But that boy and that girl?  Through it all they continued to love.

The boy was patient with that girl.  The girl learned from that boy. 

One day that boy and that girl became so much more more when a little boy was added to their love.  And then a little girl.  And then another little girl.  That boy and that girl?  The two that thought all they needed were each other?  They found out that life had so much more than they could have imagined. 

Twelve years together have changed that boy and that girl.  That girl is still sassy and that boy is still chill, but now, they meet in the middle.  That boy and that girl learned that “I do” meant more than love.  They learned about commitment.  They learned about partnership.  They learned about grace and forgiveness.  They learned about unconditional love.  They learned about friendship. 

That girl?  She knows she struck gold when that boy finally noticed her. That girl?  She couldn’t image her life without that boy.

Thank you for 12 beautiful years, Chad.