I hadn't the slightest intention of blogging tonight, until I started laughing at a thought. The thought of how simple "dating" was when I was younger. From the age of 14 to 17, everything aligned so clearly. Everything was carefree. There was abounding trust. There was determination for growth. Where did that all go?
I met one boy through a close friend from church. He was at a party and I remember seeing him and thinking, "He's new, and cute, and I'm going to talk to him!" Somehow he thought I was cute too, and BOOM! romance! (smiles) My parents met him at picnic his church was throwing. They gave the okay, and for almost a year it was blissful. Holding hands and peck here or there was all the physical contact really had. That's all we needed. The company was what truly mattered. Our friends got a long. And we both loved super mario.
The guy that probably impacted me the most I met at a church camp where I was a leader. I went with the firm mindset of being there for the kids, and not to find a summer crush. Of course, I noticed the guy immediately. He was gorgeous. In the band hired to play worship for the kids. Whenever I would run into him I would get nervous but just brush it off. The last day of camp, before the band went on to play, I noticed he was holding my nametag that I had lost two days earlier. Then he came up to me and whispered in my ear, "I don't know if you know this, but I have a huge crush on you." He walked away and started playing his guitar. Two weeks later I got an e-mail from him, saying he got my e-mail from his friend. Our friendship turned into a relationship. That lasted long distance and for a long time. He never stopped encouraging me, telling me how beautiful I was, telling me I was enough, just the way I was. He even wrote me six songs. He was the first guy to truly make me feel beautiful and loved. That's something I will never forget. Aha, he even called me from his homecoming/prom, and talked to me for an hour outside of the school telling me he would rather be talking to me than be dancing with some other girl. He wrote me letters every week and mailed them to me. I owe him a lot.
Simplicity. Chivalry. Innocence. Where have you gone?
