Once Upon A Time
There was a girl who wore Navy blues and a boy who wore Marine honor. This girl was fresh out of bootcamp and ready for the adventure of a lifetime, eager to see the world and keep it safe. One day after a trip into town she walked through the gates of the Naval base and found a very dapper, respectful and most handsome young Marine manning the gate for duty. He found himself at a loss for words at the sight of her. He would later recall his fellow Marine encouraged him to say something kind to the young lady approaching the gate. The young Marine did just that. He introduced himself and made small talk with the young lady. The young lady was smitten by his bashfulness. She thought it was such a contrast to the image that she had of Marines in general, strict, serious, and not at all approachable. This Marine was serious but kind and respectful. She also thought he had the cutest smile and sexiest sounding voice. They agreed to exchange barracks info. (Reader you must realize this was early 80’s and there were no cell phones, pagers, or social media. So the two agreed to stay in touch the best way they knew how.)
For the next two years, they enjoyed learning about each other, hanging out with friends and spending time together. They most especially enjoyed each other’s company, being able to talk about anything and a shared childhood upbringing made connecting with each other easier. As was the norm of military life someone is bound to receive orders for their next duty station. In their case, this meant saying goodbye, they were both just starting their military careers and neither one was in a position to be discharged. It was agreed that while they cared for each other deeply, it was not an option for the relationship to go any further. They said their goodbyes and well wishes and she left for California and embarked on school and another duty station assignment. The young Marine stayed back and continued his duty.
The endearment that they both felt for one another never fully went away. Each in their own thoughts through the years, would recall with fondness their time together, as young, full of excitement, love, and respectful. One day many years later, the young Marine, decided to test fate and see if he could locate his Navy love, he wondered over the years how she was doing. By now there were so many ways to connect with people and it was worth a try he thought. Since he was still quite shy and most respectful, he hesitated at first, resigning himself that if she was married then he would not reach out, He would be content knowing she was happy. Once his mind was made up, he pursued the search and after multiple dead end results, he landed on the correct account and there she was. He was shocked relieved excited and anxious all at once. He thought “I’ve come this far and found her, I’ll just reach out and say hi” His message to her said “40 years and still beautiful as ever”
“Is that really you?” she replied. Never in her wildest imagination did she think she would ever hear from her young Marine again. So much time had passed and so much life had been lived. They made small talk via social media for a little while and then everything went silent. It wasn’t until months later that she noticed a notification and upon opening the message, she could not believe her eyes. It was the picture of the two of them at a concert they attended during their courtship.
Seeing this picture brought back so many memories. How on earth did he manage to hold onto this picture for almost 40yrs?! She thought it was an incredible show of affection for the love they had for each other. He shared more pictures and they talked for hours over the phone. That first phone call had her pacing her home in nervous excitement. They discovered that they lived in different states. While this posed a concern for her, something was very different about this connection. They knew each other, nothing changed for them, their admiration and respect for each other was very much still there. Sharing was easy, long conversations about their lives up to that point, their families, their careers, their heartbreaks and milestones. At first they would just look at each other and shake their heads in amazement. There were no words to describe how fate has shined it’s light on them. They were thankful and dare to feel it… excited and hopeful. Neither had experienced the love and connection they had with anyone else yet they chose different paths in pursuit of it. She married many times seeking, settling, and ultimately heart broken, he never married, having no desire to settle for less than what he experienced with her all those years ago. Now they have found each other and life couldn’t be sweeter.
The foundation of faith, love and respect is being laid. She understands that God is loving him through her. He is so thankful that he now feels like his heart is safe. His relationship with God is reignited and He unashamedly declares her to be the love of his life and has vowed to show her for the rest of his life.
This writer realizes one very important thing, the right relationship will bring out the best in you. It will give you the opportunity to experience the best most deepest expressions of human love. This person will encourage you, believe in you, be right beside you when you become discouraged, hold you acccountable when necessary. You will feel safe, loved and trust your heart in their hands.
The young sailor and Marine are celebrating one year of reconnection. Planning a future of togetherness and express their deep gratitude each day for this blessing.
I love you,later babe.