How We Met - part twelve

Flashback Friday
or How We Met: The End

So, that's the long version of our "how we met" story. To conclude, I thought I would share some of the lessons I learned those many years ago. I’ve tried to teach these to my kids already, but it’s probably good for them to be reminded.

#1 - Obey your parents. If I had never delivered my parents’ message to the Whitakers, Wayne never would have gotten my phone number.

#2 - Be nice to your older relatives. More importantly, appreciate them. We have a wealth of experience right at our fingertips if we’ll just develop relationships with our aunts, uncles, and grandparents.

#3 - If someone turns you down for a date to a fireside, you probably wouldn’t want to date them anyway.

#4 - Setting goals and standards in high school really works (if you keep them).

And #5 - Learn how the Spirit communicates to you. I didn’t mention it before, but during our very first phone call, the Holy Ghost whispered to me that I was talking to my future husband.** That kind of shocked me and I think I was in denial for a while. However, I had had enough experiences with personal inspiration and revelation to recognize that it wasn’t my own wishful thinking, that the message really came from my Heavenly Father. That’s what made the whirlwind courtship possible.

We went from not even knowing each other to being engaged in two weeks, but we had a six month engagement, which gave us plenty of time to realize that even quick decisions can be perfect decisions.

Our engagement picture - February 1982

**One of the reasons I’m reluctant to share the story is because it seems so superficial, but I guess that also shows that the Spirit speaks in ways we can understand. As teenagers, my sister and I would often lay in our beds and talk before falling asleep. (One of the joys of sharing a room.) Anyway, one of our recurring subjects was what type of person we would marry. Our standing joke was that she would marry someone who was already a millionaire and I would marry someone who was going to be a millionaire. Basically, it was our teenage way of saying we wanted husbands who were hard workers that would be willing and able to support a family. So, imagine my surprise when Wayne mentioned that one of his goals was to be a millionaire. That’s when the Spirit said, “Here’s your future husband.” Our wishes can come true!
(Although we’re still waiting for the million dollars!!!)

For those of you who may have missed the beginning of the story, here are the links:
Part One
Part Two
Part Three
Part Four
Part Five
Part Six
Part Seven
Part Eight
Part Nine
Part Ten
Part Eleven
You could also just click on the "how we met" label and read from bottom to top.