Angels

Angel in the Snow

batch — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 20:23:06 -0500

Friends at first sight. It doesn’t sound very romantic, but that’s how I thought of Doug and me.

We liked each other immediately when we met in our freshman year in college, but I wasn’t ready for romance. Oh, we kissed, we danced at the winter ball and we went to movies. But I downplayed my feelings for him.

Valentine Angels Slideshow

mcherkezian — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 12:56:17 -0600

Mother Knows Best
By Al Brozowski, El Cajon, California

Trudy didn't want to go to a dance that night, but her mother insisted. "Your future husband may be there," she said. "God showed me your wedding. I saw it with my own eyes."

"Saw it?" asked Trudy. "You mean in a dream?"

"I saw it," her mother repeated. "The groom had shiny black hair and blue eyes."

Valentine Angels Slideshow

mcherkezian — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 12:41:52 -0600

How I Learned to Listen
By Ken Hall, Stow, Ohio

Listening wasn't my strong suit as a young man. I drifted in and out of relationships, from job to job, and in and out of graduate school.

Nothing ever seemed worth paying attention to for long. One spring day waiting to cross a street I heard a voice in my head: Cross now!

Valentine Angels Slideshow

mcherkezian — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 12:21:16 -0600

Matchmaking Marine
By Guillermo Rios, Las Vegas, Nevada

Way back in 1952, I got a weekend pass from my Army base to visit Washington, D.C. That first night I hooked up with a Marine. "Let's go to the dance at the YWCA," he said. "It'll be fun."

I wasn't much of a dancer, but this guy wouldn't take no for an answer. "You might meet a girl," he said. "Don't miss your chance."

Beginning of Spring

batch — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 20:22:56 -0500

My small Midwestern town of Naperville wasn't exactly international, but I was fascinated by other cultures from a young age.

When I was five, a good friend down the street was Chinese. I wanted to learn everything I could about him and his family and their language. I had to take off my shoes before I entered his house—like stepping into a different world. I remember the spicy fragrance of incense and the strange (to me) but delicious food.

"Someday I want to go to China," I told my friend. A boy's dream, but it stayed in my heart.

Honeymooners

batch — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 20:22:54 -0500

Our wedding day was approaching. My fiancé, Michelle, and I juggled work, wedding tasks and volunteering. We could've put volunteering on hold, but it's too important to us.

That passion for giving was one of the things that showed we were meant for each other.

Our Love Flower

batch — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 20:22:13 -0500

Roses were the flower of love, and my husband, Judd, wanted me to have plenty.

"I don't need anything so expensive," I said when he gave me a long-stemmed bouquet. "I'm happy with wildflowers—they last longer, too." Judd and I compromised and wild red roses became our love flower.

Happy Again

batch — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 20:21:11 -0500

Sunshine burst through the tall glass windows and the first light notes of the "Appalachia Waltz" sounded from the string trio. I took a deep breath, squeezed my bridal bouquet of white calla lilies and started my slow procession down the aisle.

How happy I felt in this moment, happier than I'd ever dreamed possible.

"Do You Take This Man...?"

jbloustein — Fri, 01 May 2009 16:44:13 -0500

“Well, this is it,” my fiancé, Jesse, said, walking me to my door at the Catskill Mountains resort where we would get married under a tent in less than 48 hours. “Our big weekend. And even brides as pretty as you need their beauty sleep.”

“I just hope nothing goes wrong,” I said. “The food, the wine, the flowers...”

“Don’t worry,” Jesse assured me. “Just have fun.”

Valentine Angels

mcherkezian — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 14:03:04 -0600

Things You Learn in Junior High
By Ann Derner, Front Royal, Virginia

At the sound of the bell I filed into the cafeteria with my eighth-grade classmates. I ordered a milk shake with my sandwich. "Coming right up," Don, the boy behind the counter, said. He handed me a chocolate shake with extra ice cream.

I settled in at the table, but the strangest vision distracted me from my lunch: I saw Don washing dishes at a sink. We were in our own house....He was my husband! I almost laughed out loud.