September 4. A Day to Remember

That's the first thing I saw when I walked into the office this morning. You see, two years ago today, I had a phone call inviting me to meet him--Jim--at Starbucks. We decided we needed to redo that momentous day and thus, this invitation.

I can remember every part of that day two years ago, and I shake my head in wonder when I think about how I longed for someone like Jim to come along. I'd been on several dating sites and this one--eHarmony--was my last resort. I'd had plenty of dates--more than I ever had before I married for the first time at age nineteen. Some of them were fun, some not so much. But this date, on September 4, 2013 was different. We clicked immediately. I don't exactly understand what happens to two people and how they fall in love--the adrenaline, dopamine, and serotonin--but pretty quickly, Jim and I knew we were the ones for each other. Was it just chemistry? I don't think so. I believe we were brought together by God. Really, I do.

Often Jim and I ask each other questions about where we were at a certain time in our past. We both have lived in the Vancouver/Portland area most of our lives. We believe we were most likely in the same room at the same time at some point in the past. He went to the Roberta Flack concert in 1972, the Fifth Dimension concert as well. A Blazer game. Winterhawks--or earlier--Portland Buckaroos. There've been many more "similars" in our past lives. We remember when the Columbus Day Storm hit in 1962. When the Blazers won the world championship in 1977.  I told Jim of the tornado that whisked by the school where I was working in 1972 and minutes later, caused a school roof to collapse and a nearby shopping center roof to fall. Together, we remembered the Mt St Helens eruption in 1980. We shake our heads in wonder as we compare our similar likes and dislikes. 

Those things caught our attention as something to talk about, but the main thing that brought us together was Him. That third person in the room who was unseen. We talked about that person--Jesus--a lot that first time we had coffee. And the conversation hasn't stopped. I am so grateful to my Savior for bringing us together at this time in our lives. So we'll celebrate today. Go to the same Starbucks--the one over by the airport. I'll order a cappuccino "for here". He'll order a mocha. We'll try to sit at the same table. We'll toast each other and celebrate the good things God has done in bringing us together. 

So join us today, and lift a cup of coffee--or tea--or anything for that matter and give thanks for something good in your life! I'm sure God has gifted you with something to celebrate today!

"Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever...This is the day the LORD has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it...Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever." Psalm 118: 1, 14, 29

Before our "first" Ten Grands Concert earlier this year