I should have known when he showed up with Levi’s and roses he was a keeper – the Levi’s on his hips and the flowers in his hands. It was my birthday or close to it anyway, and he’d told me to dress nice.

I was in hose and a Sunday dress, so I was anxious when I saw him through the window approaching in jeans. It was only our second date; perhaps I’d overdressed. My heart raced and my cheeks flushed to match my dress. Fighting the urge to bolt back to my bedroom and change, I took a deep breath and waited for him to ring the bell.

I paused just a second not to seem over eager but not long enough to have him looking through the window and see me waiting there. With a deep breath, I opened the door to his steady gaze and a grin. And melted.

“Hi.” I smiled back not sure if my mouth was hanging open.

“Happy Birthday,” he said thrusting the roses my way.

We said a quick hello and good-bye to my parents and headed to his dad’s white Cavalier with the light blue interior. I beamed. When the smile you have inside cannot be contained, you beam. Alan fiddled with the radio before we left the driveway, scanning the stations until he found a song to his liking.

And then he sang. This six-foot-five, brown-eyed boy, who stole my heart with a glance and a grin, sang. His mellow voice had a soothing quality, and I leaned back in my seat to drink it in. In a few minutes, he punched a button to change the station again. He’d stop on a station, sing a few bars as if trying on a jacket, and then change it again.

He must have known the words to every song on every station. It didn’t matter if it was country, rock, easy listening or golden oldies. He sang. And for once, I was quiet – listening. I wished that ride would never end. But eventually, we landed at the restaurant. He jumped out of the car and appeared at my door. Opening it, he held out his hand.

“You ready?” He asked me.

I smiled in return, accepting it – accepting him. Hand in hand we walked, blue jeans and high heels, through the doors of the Steak and Ale and into our forever.

Happy 15th Wedding Anniversary, Alan! I knew on our second date you were a keeper. I love you now more than ever!

DOUBLE FEATURE!

There are many things in life I’m not sure about.

But one that I’m almost positive of is this. Respectfully speaking, God should take some cues from my two–year-old.

You see, she can ask for things in a way you can’t refuse. If God took cues from Grace, we’d have more missionaries than Starbucks. Adoption would be so popular, you wouldn’t leave your child out of sight more than seventeen seconds for fear someone would snatch them up to add to their own happy family. And the ushers at church would look more like bouncers because they’d need huge muscles to carry the overflowing offering plates.

Follow my (albeit crooked) reasoning…

I’m also posting at the Internet Cafe today. Click HERE to read the rest of my devotion.

Carol