I Love You a Million Sour Gummy Worms

Sour Gummy Worms

Have you ever loved someone so much that it was like fire in your soul?

I Have and do.

People don't believe me when I say I fell in love with Andy at first site. 

I did...Hard!

It was at youth choir that he first knew it. We had met once before at regular choir, we were the youngest members. But at youth choir his sister, Jodie,  must have noticed me following his every move. She sat next to me and kept asking me "you like my brother don't you?" after about the forth time I said "yes" She immediately stood up and said "she likes Andy!" The floor could have opened me up and sucked me in and I would have been grateful. He never said anything though and two weeks later he asked out my sister Naomi and gave her a Dumbo stuffed animal from Disney world. She said "no". And that was the end of that.

I consequently hate Dumbo... Yes, sad to say a poor animated creature is hated due to that dumb moment. 

Oh I cried. But I got over it and went out with other people. But God help me I burned for him! 

One night about a year later as we were at a church party to say goodbye to our youth minister, who had recently become the minister of that church, Andy and I just happened to be standing next to each other talking with someone and they mentioned how good we looked together. I still don't know what came over me, I reached out took his hand and said, "I know"! And then it happened he squeezed my hand and wouldn't let go,. All night! He asked me out a few days later and I'll never forget that wonderful night. Something happened on that date. The first time we danced it was like souls touching. I can't explain it. But believe me, you'll know it if you feel it!

I could say and... we lived happily ever after....

But that wouldn't be true or honest.

Oh we are happy and in love! 

But so many young couples, and older couples for that matter, look at us like we were lucky and it worked out easy for us.

No, they must know the truth....Love is hard, and messy, full of doubts, and mistakes. There are ups and downs. times of utter sadness and fear. 

But there is also times of exaltation, Happiness, sharing and caring that fills you up beyond anything comprehendable! 

But simple and easy... not in the beginning, for sure, and sometimes not even later on. We promised each other to love each other no matter what, and we meant it and showed it. Promised that we could tell each other anything and what we couldn't share with the world, we could always share with each other. I think this is what the Bible means when it says cleave onto each other... Unconditional love. This is no easy thing to promise each other! And you've got to mean it and do it! Or it does not work!

We have done this for 32 years, there have been times when people thought our marriage was over, and that Andy didn't love me anymore. I told them they were wrong. And I was right! Yes, we have fought our way through, and are all the happier for it. We know each other so well we really can read each other thoughts, when he or I are sad we can feel it in our souls and when we are happy our souls sing! I ask for nothing more. 

I still feel a shiver when he comes in the room, and wake up at night just to touch his face. He still kisses me goodbye and hello and neither of us can wait everyday for the time when we can be together. This is love plain and simple. being there for each other in all things.

A few years ago Andy and I watched the movie "What A Girl Wants" and there is a part in it where the mom and daughter are having a little fight over a very emotional thing, and the mother says "I love you a million Swedish fish!" and the daughter replies "I love you a million red M&M's!" Wow! We both got it, What a wonderful way to express your feelings when it's hard to put into words that you are sorry, and want to give this person unconditional love, and comfort, a knowing that you will always be there...

We are so Blessed, so lucky...to have kept that promise our souls made the first time they came together. To have taken this journey of life together.  To have found such an amazing love and fought to keep it.

I love you a million sour gummy worms sweetie...  

Andy and Laurie Winter 2011