Blind Date

There was a lot of snow that night, especially for an early December. I wondered if we should just cancel.

But it was “tonight or never” in my mind.

As I turned into the driveway, in front of me was the type of home I wasn’t expecting to find at the end of a narrow Grand Rapids neighborhood. This was an incredibly grand lady, tall and wide.* Around it was massive trees and thick hedges covered with a bright, pillowy snow. I slowed the car so I could take a picture with my eyes.

I felt like I was driving onto the set of a movie–one of those sappy Christmas romances with the lovely young girl and the awkward suitor trying to earn the approval of her protective parents.

It’s strange to think on how little of Alicia I knew before that snowy night. I barely knew what she looked like. I did know she came from a big family, a lot of people loved her and that she loved the Lord. That was about it. That was also enough.

I pulled off my glove so I could get a good solid knock on the big front door. There was no way I could have known at that moment that this night would change my life. No, I could barely catch my breath as I waited for the door to open…