day 3: memories of christmas past

a celebratory engagement{l+m far right}

december 2002 i was sleeping off a bout of pregnancy-whilst-caring-for-toddlers fatigue. it was a dark and rainy saturday when the phone rang. the Mister handed me the phone. "it's lincoln and melinda. they want to speak with you." the couple i had introduced only 3 months prior were phoning to tell me they were engaged. can it be possible that i am more glad today, ten years later, than i was that day? i am. in a weird way it was a premonition of what it's going to feel like when one of our boys calls to give us the very same news. here's why.

after i had my first boy{and then the next and the next and then the next}, something in me changed. i began to see every boy regardless of his age, as my son. i still do. it's some kind of warped motherly nurturing thing, but i went from somebody's girlfriend to everybody's mother in matter of minutes. it's the way i was made. i cannot explain it, but let me try.

my favorite jane austen quote goes something like this, "a single man in pursuit of a great fortune must be in want of a wife". and once upon a time one of our favorite boys{who was approximately 32 at the time} was single. and open to being in pursuit. so i decided it was about time he met our friend melinda. lincoln was game-and flew himself all the way from south texas to nashville to meet this girl over a labor day weekend.

the rest is history. but i suspect you want a little more detail so here goes. 

many years prior lincoln lived with my husband when they were bachelors. he remains one of the most obscure and surprising fellows i have ever met. he once dug ditches, taught in the south bronx, moved to south texas and went on to become a pastor. i consider him a contemporary huckleberry finn, quirky, brilliant with a mischievous side. 

and then there's melinda, his beloved bride. she's his equal in every way. well read, witty, resourceful and deeply loyal. she was once commissioned by her high school alma mater to write a book about the history of this small, private school in middle tennessee. she would never share that with you so i will. the first word that comes to mind when i think of melinda is thoughtful. the second word is steadfast. i would use the same two words to describe her groom. 

introducing these two remains one of the shining moments in my life. i love sharing in their story. it is my belief they were meant to meet, fall in love and marry. had i not introduced them, i am confident they would have met another way. but boy am i glad it was through me!

today they live amongst the most wonderful fig trees in a tiny, rural town in alabama with their three precocious children. you might say they've been busy over the past 10 years! happy engagement anniversary, lincoln and melinda. may the years continue to bring sweetness and joy.

xo,

gf