Nine years young

Richard has been in my life for nine years. The first year we walked among the halls of our high school with 200 some odd peers and staff. Both of us too wrapped up in our own lives to even take time to have a conversation with one another. We both knew who we were, had mutual friends and with grades the size of fifty students or less you are bound to walk the same halls along side each other. I remember the first time someone had pointed him out to me. I was a sophomore, sixteen, in the math hall, talking to Lauren and Brittany about the "new boys." He was a grade older and as he passed by and gave us a smirk, here was my thought " That guy's a punk and I have no interest in competing for his attention with these girls." I was also in a relationship with a guy in college so it really didn't matter how attractive he was I was still going to assume I was much cooler dating an older guy.

A new school year started and I was single... yes that helped things. I was casually dating, really involved in my theater group, concert hopping and much too tan for the month of October. My friend Mary and I started going to a Friday morning youth group for christian athletes. Richard happened to be in this as well. Every week myself and around ten other students would role in half awake to hang out with Coach. We had plenty of opportunities to learn more about each other and therefore I learned a lot. If you don't know Richard personally it will probably help to know several encounters to retain information for Richard are like seconds to you and I. He naturally doesn't retain information well, such as peoples names-significant details of their lives-how he knows them. So I had my work cut out for me. He would just breeze in and breeze out, I was intrigued.

Eventually after many tips from his friend Michael, now one of our closest friends (Uncle Michael), we broke through the conversational barriers and started dating. I was able to drop facts about myself so Richard didn't have to ask, I would invite him to everything and he'd show up for most of it. Within a year we were expecting our son and newly married. Three children later I still study him. He still intrigues me but now he shows up to everything I ask him to. Sometimes a little reluctantly but he never fails me when I ask him for something. Our family sees us as each others yin and yang. Our children see him as their quiet comforter. Richard keeps growing in his appreciation of love and self growth. I can't wait to see what year twenty six brings. Happy Birthday Richard!