As I lay in the Jacuzzi, bubbles gently caressing my body, my mind started to wander back to when it all started.
I was born in a small town in the deep South into a deeply religious family.
I guess I had a typical childhood. We attended church twice on Sunday, and of course every Wednesday evening. As I grew up, I really wasn't sure what I wanted to do with my life, I thought I might want to enter the business world. When I graduated from high school, I decided to take a year off and work before I went to college. I hoped this would help me make up my mind exactly what I wanted to do in life.
There was an opening at our church for assistant to the pastor. I decided to apply and when I got the job. I was really really happy. I remember my first day at work. I arrived early, dressed in my prettiest summer dress and heels ready to take on the world. Little did I know that that day would change my life.
My new boss was our pastor. Brad was in his late 20s, a very handsome man. To be honest, I had a bit of a crush on him after hearing him preach Sunday after Sunday. I was thrilled to be working for him.
I worked very closely with Brad and admired his strength, and his deep abiding faith in God. I was slowly falling in love with him.
About two months after I started work, we received wonderful news! Brad was being elevated to Bishop. We were so excited when he was finally ordained. Imagine our humble church having as its pastor, our local bishop! His deep humility in taking this new position made me fall even more deeply in love with him. I especially admired the way he treated and dealt with the assistant pastor, Emmet and Jimmy, a seminarian who was spending a year of formation in our church. All three were single, so they lived in a big house together. Emmet, the youth pastor, was a wonderful outgoing guy who is great with children. Jimmy, our seminarian, was a shy boy who couldn't look at me in the eye and chat. I often wondered how Jimmy was going to make it as a minister if he couldn't even talk to his parishioners.
As time went on Brad and I spend more and more time together and we realized that we were falling in love with each other. Then one great day it happened! It was a Saturday. I was in the church, tidying up and preparing for services on Sunday. Brad came in at the front of the church went down on one knee, took my hand and asked me to marry him. I said yes!
The next two months was a flurry of preparation and organization for the wedding while still trying to keep the church open and keep Brad on his busy schedule as the new bishop. The one big change was that he had to travel every second week to visit different churches in our area. He would leave on Wednesday afternoon, and not return until Monday midday. He never went alone, he always took our deacon Duncan and our assistant pastor Emmett. It was hard trying to organize a wedding with him being away so much but we managed to do it. Thank you Lord for guiding us through this and for giving us Skype, MSN, texting and cell phones.
I was so excited when our big day arrived. We stood in front of our congregation, family and friends and were united together in holy matrimony until death do us part. Our reception was beautiful, and I anxiously awaited truly become Brad's wife that night.
When the reception was over we got into the car and drove for about an hour to Columbus. We checked into a hotel and went up to our room, and I was quivering with excitement.
Once we're in the room I turn to Brad and said, " Honey, could you just go into the bathroom for a minute or two and let me change?"
"Sure." he said as he went into the bathroom and closed the door.