Lighting Flashed and Thunder Rolled

Lighting flashed - thunder rolled…she was still sitting right next me!
For weeks I had been driving her home from play practice taking the long way to her house, dropping off another friend first. When I dropped him off she would always slide over to the other side of the car but this day was different. WOW! I had considered her out of my stratosphere as far as dating options. But, here she sat right next to me on the bench seat of my Sky Blue 1963 Falcon. Not knowing how to handle such a strange and wonderful situation I nervously looked at her and she was smiling at me. I guess I did the right thing - I smiled back. Not thinking too well I eased the car away from the curb.
Looking back I wonder how she explained me to her family. It had to go something like this. Girlfriend -“Mom my new boyfriend is just great, he is a young man with few goals, although he does have one goal at the moment, and that is to be sure he never goes to college.” Mom – “Oh my goodness!! Does he work?” Girlfriend – “Oh yes, he has a great job he delivers furniture for a company that is going out of business and he has no opportunities for promotion but he does make $1.65 per hour.” Mom – “Well, what does he think for his future?” Girlfriend – “He says it will work out.” Mom – “Oh my goodness...I think I need to go to my bedroom now.” She walks away mumbling, “I think I am behind in my prayers. Oh, my goodness…Oh my goodness!”
They say past performance is the best indicator of future results. My past performance to this point had been less than stellar. The girl who decided not to slide over on that ride home was a straight A student, popular, a cheerleader, long brown hair that hung straight accentuating her amazing figure that made a 17 year old boy go cookoo. I have wondered now that many years have gone by; did anyone say to her? “tap you helmet girl he’s a loser”. Well, I am not sure if anyone told her that but I know at the time that is exactly how I felt.
As the weeks turned into months and the months turned into years – I heard her say more times than I can count, “you can do that.” Somewhere along that lane of many turns in time I began to believe her. She has been a strong encourager to me now for so many years.
Just tonight now in our 36th year of marriage I heard those words once more, “you can do that.”
To my sweet wife – you have surely been a blessing.