A Real Life Valentine's Day Love Story.

What's Valentine's Day without a good love story?

Today's post is from my archives but it doesn't mean any less to me today 

than it did when I first wrote it.  Every day is a gift. 

17 years ago, on February 13th, 1995,

I got a phone call in my Virginia dorm room from my mom.

She told me a boy from our church, was recovering from surgery.

It was in our church newsletter and they were asking people to send him

get well cards/notes.

He was the older boy from church, (the one she knew I thought was cute.)

He was the one I started sitting up front to watch every Sunday singing in the choir.

He was the one who played beautiful trumpet solos

in front of the painted scenery I was forever painting for summer VBS plays.

The boy with a head full of curly dark hair and green eyes who made me blush,

but I was never brave enough to actually talk to.

He. had. cancer.

He was only 20 years old.

He had a malignant brain tumor, an anaplastic astrocytoma.

He had just had brain surgery over Christmas vacation
to remove it and was back at school undergoing radiation treatment.

I wrote down his address on a scrap of paper on my desk.
Something told me, a small voice inside my head,

that this was the start of something that would change my life.

I bought a card at the campus bookstore.

I wrote a note inside, something along the lines of,

"You don't know me, but we attend the same church

and we went to rival high schools..."

"I hope you are doing well,

I'm here if you need a friend to talk to." etc.

I put it in the outgoing mailbox, not realizing the date.

The card arrived later that week, it was postmarked February 14, 1995.

He wrote back. (this was before we had email accounts)

We continued writing back and forth for the rest of the school year,

throughout his treatments and recovery.

We became really good friends.

We agreed to meet and hang out when he came back home to Virginia in June.

It was love at first sight. We were both smitten.

We did not know what kind of future awaited us.

We knew we were in love.

We did not know what kind of prognosis he would have.

We knew we were best friends.

We knew we wanted to be together for as long as we could.

We have been married for 13 1/2 years.

We have been together 17 years, since that fateful first lunch date....

and really, if I'm being honest,

he's had my heart since I mailed that first Valentine's Day Get Well card.

He still writes me beautiful love letters.

He still gets an MRI every year to recheck his noggin.

He is still cancer free.

He is my best friend, the father of our two beautiful daughters,

the best daddy in the world, my partner in crime, my one and only valentine.

Happy Valentine's Day my love,

I am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine.

Yours,
MaryLea

xoxoxo