For the next few months, things were busy. I was concentrating on studying and holding two officer positions in my sorority, but Dan and I were still going strong. I went to Israel with Dad on Spring Break in March 1993 (see the photo of me and Dad in front of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre), and was lovesick the entire time. Can you believe it? I spent a whole week in Israel pining for a boy?! If I had only known he was going to marry me one day, I would have stopped fretting that he wouldn’t miss me while we were apart and dump me when I returned. Ah, what a waste.But our relationship wasn’t without hiccups. About two months after we started dating, we broke up for the first time on March 29, 1993. (Thank God I kept track of this silly stuff in my diary, or else y’all would be so bored!) The breakup lasted only three days. In May of 1993, I wrote this in my diary: “You know what I think the greatest thing is about him? He’s one of my best friends – I love that.”
When the semester ended in May 1993, Mom drove up to Mizzou to get me. Dan came back home to Georgia with me for about a week, which was pretty cool (the photo is from his visit). I was home for probably only a month before I returned to Mizzou for summer school. Turns out that little break at home was the last time I would be home while my parents were still together. They split up at the end of June 1993. Of course, I was devastated.
Hindsight is 20/20, and now I know that Dan was brought into my life at a certain point for a reason. God is always faithful, isn’t He? He knew that I wasn’t ready to connect with the love of my life in the first semester of school. No wonder we had that embarrassing fiasco (being the forward person I am) the first time I met Dan. It just wasn’t time. I needed to make a few more mistakes and get my head screwed on right before I could be ready for Dan. God knew that. Dan didn’t come into my life a moment too soon. It was just nine days after we started dating that I got the call my Grandfather had died. And Dan was there when I got the news that Mom had been diagnosed with lupus. Most importantly, he was the rock I leaned on when Mom and Dad separated – and he was the rock I clung to during the two years it took them to officially divorce. It was a nasty split, and I was thrown into the middle of it. Thank God Dan was there for me.
You know, there are still more details. Of course. Check back later for Part VII.
2 comments:
Learning so much about you!
What was Israel like?
Israel was pretty awesome. I went with my dad, who was one of the most knowledgeable people when it comes to Biblical history. How I wish I could repeat that trip with him again!
I was so naive then. I'm sure if I went now, I would have a different experience.
We got to see the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem (where Jesus was supposedly born), I got to touch the Jordan River, we went to Masada, saw King David's tomb, floated in the Dead Sea (yes, you TRULY float), saw Jericho, walked some of the stations of the cross, visited the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and also the Garden Tomb (I think the Garden Tomb is the actual crucifixion and burial site of Jesus, not the Holy Sepulchre).
I got buzzed for the first time with my dad, and got to eat my first falafel, which is still a favorite food of mine to this day. (I don't get many of those in the Midwest.)
Dad bought me a book there called The Source by Mitchener. It took me years to finally finish it, but it was a great book and brought back lots of memories of my trip.
Thanks for asking, Gretchen! It's nice remembering...
Post a Comment