It was a Friday night in March of 1996. I was curious about this new thing called the internet and all it had to offer. So I opened it up and went to a site for Christianity Today Magazine. I found something called a bulletin board where people could chat online with other people of like interests. There was no social media as we know it today. It was just a bulletin board divided by age group, interests, etc. so I clicked into a board for “OVER 40s.” There were so many posts I thought I would go back to the very first one and go forward. I actually thought that what you were supposed to do.

I found a post by a man from Illinois that really caught my eye. I loved what he shared about his life, he was a Christian, he was very funny, and there didn’t seem to be anything superficial about him (i.e. he wasn’t just looking for eye candy). So I sent him an email and he responded back almost right away. The funny thing was, if I had not gone back to the beginning, i would not have found him, because he posted that in September of 1995, and the email address was one he hardly used anymore. He just “happened” to check it that night.

We started chatting online every Friday night after I finished work. We started to get to know each other, and ended up sending pictures to each other. I then gave him my phone number and we talked on the phone a few times. I had already decided to move to New Mexico, so I made plans to stop and visit him on my way across country. I had family in Indiana and Iowa, so it wouldn’t be out of my way to stop in Central Illinois. I did do that in July of 1996 and stayed for 4 days in a small local motel. We went hiking, out to eat, church, and just spent time together. It was almost an instant connection and we both felt it. I did go on to New Mexico, but we continued our communication by letters, emails, and phone calls.

He flew out to see me in September and proposed, and I said yes. I drove back to Illinois in December of 1996, and we married March 29, 1997, one year after I sent that first email. My life has been truly blessed by being married to this most wonderful man. He is brilliant, funny, kind, generous, and such a gift to me. We have had a wonderful life together filled with fun, new adventures, travel, learning, laughter, and grace,

I am truly grateful for the past 24 years with him, and pray that God will gift us with many more together. The Scripture says whoever finds a wife, finds a good thing, and obtains favor from the Lord. I think that could also be said when you find a husband like I did.

Proverbs 18:22

Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favor of the Lord.
KJV