TheWRITEaddiction.com

I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine. (Song of Solomon 6:3)

Our journey began nearly 17 years ago under the hanging moss trees at Tougaloo College in Tougaloo, Mississippi. In 1997, just before Christmas break, I attended a gospel choir concert on campus in which he was the musician. At the end of the program, he gave the altar call and closing prayer. From that moment, I was hooked. It wasn’t so much his playing or the prayer that captured my heart but the fact that he was bold enough in his early twenties to pray in front of his peers seemingly unashamed. I secretly told myself I had to find out more about him. A few weeks later, I asked one of his friends who he was and the all-important question—is he single? His friend told me he was indeed single and was an incredibly nice guy. That was all I needed to keep him in my heart.

After Christmas break, I returned to campus and discovered he was in my biology class. (This was a work of divine intervention because he should have already graduated by this time but he was still finishing up a couple classes.) I was excited that he was in my class. Now, I would have a reason to strike up a conversation because I am NOT the aggressive type. After class one day, I saw him in the cafeteria sitting by himself and I worked up the courage to sit beside him. I asked him how he had done on the biology test that day. (He says it was corny but it passed the test!) That began the first of many conversations which ended in what we have today.

Our first date consisted of going to see Titanic (all three hours of it!) followed by dinner at Applebees where I had a baked potato and water. (I was a little nervous and didn’t even finish that!). We talked about school, work, life, and some of our goals. He took me back to my dorm room (he was living off campus) and that was the end of our special night. He had won my heart again on March 28, 1998 and I hoped he would call again to ask me out. From that moment, I knew there was something special that I hadn’t experienced before and I wanted to experience it again.

We quickly became inseparable and dated over two years before getting married on June 3, 2000. On our second date, I KNEW he would be mine. From day one, we have had a friendship that’s kept us together through the years. We talk about everything and truly enjoy being together. I am in my “happy place” when we are sitting together on the couch watching a movie or lying in the bed reminiscing until the early morning hours. When we are apart from each other, I honestly miss him and can’t wait to see him. This man still captures my heart and his compliments send me to cloud 9. He makes sacrifices for me to ensure my happiness (although I’m “low maintenance”) like the time I went out of town and returned home to find the laundry done and the house clean! He values me by giving me a break from cooking every now and then. I believe the best gift we’ve given each other is the ability to accept each other just as we are. There’s no pretense or pretending. I can be “me”, with my flaws and shortcomings, and that’s good enough. I don’t need weave, make up, a face lift or belly lift to receive his love. And that is freedom in itself.

Love for me has been a wonderful journey. It’s so fun to spend everyday together doing life. Yes, there are challenges and short-lived moments of frustration, but how can you live without your best friend—the one who makes you laugh and values you more than anyone? This journey has afforded me many wonderful moments and memories. I am honored to be his wife, partner, best friend, lover, and the “good thing” he found. As we prepare to celebrate fifteen years of wedded bliss, I can’t help but thank God for allowing me to experience the fullness of a love so rich.

Like the finest apple tree in the orchard  is my lover among other young men.  I sit in his delightful shade and taste his delicious fruit.  He escorts me to the banquet hall; it’s obvious how much he loves me.  Strengthen me with raisin cakes, refresh me with apples, for I am weak with love.  His left arm is under my head, and his right arm embraces me. (Song of Solomon 2:3-6)

~Coletta Jones Patterson