2006 was one of those years that was full of surprises. That summer I had graduated with my Associate of Fine Arts from the local community college by my parents' house, and I had picked up part time work in Saint Louis' historic Union Station as a Barista (aka, Coffee Shop Girl) at one of the local shops. However, most importantly, that was the year I met William.An acquaintance of mine invited me to join him at an Anglican, but rather ecumenical, weekly Potluck Dinner and Bible Study. It was a place of good people, good food, and most of all good conversation. To this day, some of the people from that little group are among my best friends. I fell into the little community as the token Roman Catholic. Oddly enough, the group also included a token Lutheran among its ranks as a guest of one the group's other members, a certain special guy that I would much later finally start some interesting conversation with. It wasn't until the following Spring, however, in 2007, that conversation between the two of us reached a comfortable level, thanks to a weekly gathering at a local Pub where all of us would socialize and discuss theology over great beer.
Finally, in part because of a few local rock n' roll shows, and eventually an outing involving Irish Rebel Music and Guinness, William and I both worked up the nerve to admit we had been eying one another this entire time, which resulted in an eventual date.......and many more regular gathering involving Irish Rebel Music.
We started dating that Spring. And only a few months into things, William nervously got down on one knee, sang me a marvelous song about a soldier who fell in love and then was whisked off to war, and told me that he loved me. That was also the night we first hear "OUR" song, another traditional song entitled "GRACE," about the heartbreaking story of Joseph Mary Plunkett and Grace Gifford. Plunkett was executed the morning after their wedding day in 1916 due to his role in the Irish Uprising against the British. The music, sadly, was all too fitting. Only months before that night, William had signed his contract with the United States Army and would be on his way to Basic Combat Training for the summer and fall months. We only had a few short months to be together before our relationship would become long-distance and by letter only. Luckily, we made sure that I did in fact meet his family, and he met mine in that short time.
Trust me, I looked forward to those letters, which arrived every week and kept me focused during the summer session. After, His best friend and I drove down to Fort Jackson, North Carolina to Congratulate him and wish him well. I still have a box with each handwrriten numbered note, to remind myself to keep the art of letter writing somewhat alive.
Luckily, William was home from his Advanced training by December, and in time for our first Christmas as a couple, and the rest....well, is history!
