then & now & later

On Friday at work, I noticed a large group of kids dressed in formal wear and taking pictures. Prom time already? I thought. Then I got nostalgic and remembered back to my own prom. 

I never wanted to go prom. I never planned to go to prom. Even when a friend had told me they thought Tim would ask me to prom, I begged this friend to tell him I was not interested. Prom was not my thing. And I would never be brave enough to go to prom with the guy I had a huge crush on. No way.

Then there was a bench at the park and a comic and dress shopping and two weeks after that incident, I was at prom and I was more nervous than I had ever been in my life. I had no idea how Tim felt about me, but I knew I loved being around him and talking to him. I loved the way he held my hand and opened doors for me. 

Today I read a reflection my grandfather Paul wrote about his wife Else in her last days. His words were so tender and loving. I have never clung to a writing like that before. Even with English as a second language, he  was one of the best writers I have read. As he closed the reflection and wrote about her death, he said how grateful he was to have 46 good years with her. 

I joked with Tim on the way home, saying that if we are lucky enough to be married 46 years, we will joke about how "in love" we think we are now because our love will deepen and change the longer we are married. That is how I feel about this picture. I thought I had feelings for Tim then and I had never felt so much for another person. And now I laugh at this, knowing how much our relationship has been transformed in the past five years. I love Tim in such a different and deeper way than I thought I loved him in the past. 

How good is God to give us relationships? And how amazing to see the progression of relationships and how they change our lives? I love looking at this picture, seeing where it all began. I hope that we have at least 46 good years together, and we also have pictures at the end, with grandchildren and great grandchildren. And I hope we are still silly in love, pinching each other's butts and everything. 

3 comments:

Tim Shuck said...

Dang! Look at that hair..... I miss it! :)

alanahjoy said...

Don't play with my heart, Timothy. Your short hair looks amazing.

The Everyday Album said...

Love you. :)