At the risk of stereotyping the genders (which I actually may be doing a bit), when a group of men watch football, the women often like to find another television in the house on which to watch “chick flicks,” as they’re often called. (I’m an avid football fan, so I have to run from one room to the other, getting updates on both the current score and the movie’s plot line!) This afternoon, I figured that a lot of the male readers of this blog may be out trying out their new Father’s Day gifts or resting up after an extra-generous Sunday dinner—rather than reading blog posts (Joe’s posts in particular). So I decideded that this was a great time to share a sweet love story that took place on June 17, just two short years ago!
[The following excerpt is quoted directly from Petals from the Basket (Book 3), in which this story appears as the final chapter of the book.]
“This is the Lord‘s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes” Psalm 118:23.
The official launch date for this book is June 17, 2016. I chose that day for a reason, and I thought it would be fun to close the book with a little explanation—and a simply marvelous surprise!
You have welcomed me into your hearts and homes for over four years now, so I wanted a very special day in my life to be one that we could all celebrate together, even if it’s only through the pages of a devotional book! I can’t contain my “secret” much longer, so I’m going to start with that and then give the “backstory” to share with you what our amazing God has been doing!
Are you ready?
As of June 17, 2016, I will be engaged to be married to Captain Joe Henderson (US Airways, retired)!
Yes, after fifty-five years as a single, never-been-married woman, I will be married later this summer!
The sequence of events and details are too numerous to share in the closing chapter of a devotional book, so I’ll try to give you the Reader’s Digest version!
In 2015, my mentor-friend of nearly forty-five years, Betty Henderson, passed away and joined my father and countless others who are fully focused on worshipping our amazing Lord in person and who are undistracted by the things of this world any longer! She has no more pain, no more sickness, and no more tears. And for that, I am thankful. But I miss her. Her wisdom, laughter, and friendship remain in my heart as some of my greatest treasures.
Interestingly, God was doing an incredible work in my heart during the last half of 2015 and into 2016, pruning away the fruitless branches of selfish desires and demands and replacing them with a contentment in Him alone—a true, genuine, God-is-more-than-enough contentment. Little did I know that He was clearing away the withered petals of sin from my heart so that He could fill it with a bouquet of marvelous surprises.
Earlier this year, Captain Joe Henderson (my dear Betty’s widower) asked my mother and me if he could take us to lunch at Das Dutchman Essenhaus in nearby Middlebury, Indiana, along with his pastor and pastor’s wife, also dear and mutual friends of ours. I had written a tribute that was used at Betty’s funeral, and it was sort of Joe’s way of thanking Mom and me for our family’s friendship through the years. We had a delightful time, and the blessings of true friendship were clearly enjoyed by all.
Not long after this group lunch, Joe began to communicate about other possible trips to Northern Indiana, and he also began to communicate via handwritten letters to my mom and me. Before long, I was receiving handwritten letters addressed just to me, and I was receiving them more and more frequently. In fact, I began to wonder if these were “let’s be more than friends” attempts and started praying about what I would do if Joe were pursuing me. I spoke of it only to the Lord and asked Him to make it very clear to me, because I needed Him to lead through Joe.
As the letters in the mailbox increased and the time between receiving them decreased, Mom looked at me one day as I came in from the mailbox, letter in hand, and she said, “Well this is getting interesting!”
“I know, right? I’m not exactly sure what his intentions are at this point, but I know that he is a godly man of character and that I enjoy communicating with him very much, so I’m willing to stick around and find out!” Then I headed to my room to read my letter and ask God to guide my thoughts, hopes, and expectations.
Because Joe and I are both well into our adult years, it was soon apparent that this new turn on an old friendship was pointing to a conclusion that neither of us had expected or had even thought of. It was no longer a matter of “if” but a matter of “when.” Unlike many couples who have just started dating, we have known each other for forty-five years. We already knew each other’s love for God, each other’s character qualities, each other’s highs and lows, and each other’s personalities. Now we just viewed them from a different perspective!
After we spoke to one another of the love God had placed in our hearts for each other and Joe had verbalized his long-term intentions, he gave me a wondrously beautiful pendant—at the red covered bridge at Das Dutchman Essenhaus—as a symbol of that love. We could not help but claim Psalm 118:23 (listed above) as “our verse.” Our relationship—something God brought about in His time and in this season of our lives—truly “is the Lord’s doing.” Therefore, “it is marvelous in our eyes.”
Joe’s unshakable love for his late wife, my dear friend Betty, let me see that this was a man who loved so dearly that he was ready to love again. In God’s infinite wisdom and mercy, He chose the recipient of that love to be me. I am honored, grateful, and yes, thrilled beyond words!
Though our relationship has been “unconventional,” we’ve laughed, cried, talked, and embraced the silence—and we’ve enjoyed doing those things together.
So on June 17, 2016, the day that this book is launched, Joe and I will once again go to the red covered bridge on the property of Das Dutchman Essenhaus, and we will officially become engaged. Yes, I already know those details! (We’re unconventional, remember?) But I know nothing at all about the ring that will symbolize this commitment. So that will be a surprise for me!
And this book will be a surprise to Joe! In case you didn’t notice before, you can look on the Dedication page, and there you’ll find the very words that I will open the newly published book to and show to Joe in reply to his question! Lord willing, our story is only beginning. I also hope that the opportunity of sharing my life, the lessons God is teaching me, and my new God-given love with you will continue for many years to come!
Since you can’t see the Dedication page of the book, I will share it with you here:
To Joe
Yes!
A thousand times yes!
Happy Engagement Anniversary, Joe! I love you more than the whole wide world—and back again…seven times!
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