Writing has always been a passion of mine and I have been failing miserably at keeping up with my blog. When I was skirting around the skies as a flight attendant, I had more down time on my layovers or if I had my usual five to seven days off in a row. There was always so much content to write about and share. Now that I have this life on the ground, I find myself often feeling like a fish out of water. I wondered many times if I would ever adjust to the normal routines that many career professionals have. I can’t say that I have. My itch for travel and new adventures is deeply rooted within my veins.
After flying, I found myself seeking new avenues and I didn’t even know exactly what those were. Going back to college and working part time for a major retailer which took me on a journey of five promotions in one year (it went fast) which moved me to the coastal living that I grew up with. On a warm, sunny day in December, out of the blue, I was given the opportunity to work for a big box retailer. I felt perplexed because after all, who wants to move away from the beach? Not this girl! I gave in, followed the path and within two weeks, I found myself moving away from the beach and having mixed emotions about it.
I loved the beach and I spent every summer on the North Carolina coast. It was where I felt the most peace. It was my second home, but in my heart it was really my first home. It was the place where the Dew family ran deep with our roots and where my Aunt Rachel made sure we all had the latest and greatest to be the coolest kids. It was a place where I learned to make homemade pizzas in our beach house with my grandma at the helm of all things cooking. It was truly some of the best times of my life where the sun kissed my face for hours in the day. It was the place where my worries disappeared with every step I took along the shore, and where I knew that no matter my concerns, I seen how small I am in this world as I looked out onto the Atlantic. It put things into perspective and I miss those daily walks along the shore, but in order to grow myself, I knew it was time to take the next steps.
Fast forward to the move to western North Carolina, and I begin my first day at my new job. I didn’t know what to expect so I entered with zero expectations. I was deeply focused on this new path I was on and I was ready for whatever came my way. What I wasn’t prepared for was the one handshake I was about to endure. It was the handshake of the most gorgeous man I had ever seen. He immediately came over to introduce himself and when we shook hands, that was when the connection began. We couldn’t seem to let go of each other and the smiles were endless.
We quickly formed a deeply rooted friendship that neither of us could deny in any way. We became the best of friends. We would finish each other’s sentences, we laughed at each others jokes, we cried together, we felt each others pain if one of us was going through something and we truly became one in our hearts. I loved him and he loved me. I remember the first time we spoke those words and how special it was for us both. We kept a box of special memories and the amount of love that is in that box, holds a very special place in our hearts. We engaged in the most special bond that either of us had ever felt. We knew from the beginning that we wanted to have a life together and so our journey began.
Not all of our journey has been flawless. We have had some trying times but what set us apart from it all, is the way we can talk through everything. The way we are open with each other and how well we listen to what the other is feeling, it is what makes us who we are.
We never wanted to stay in the small North Carolina town we were in. It didn’t fit either of our personalities because we both have grown up in the city. We knew we wanted more on so many levels. When we discussed moving and what that looked like, we knew that we had so many options. The one option that kept coming back around to us was moving to Michigan, his home state and where my oldest daughter and her fiancé currently live. I have been to almost all fifty states and I never thought I would end up in Michigan but he would be closer to his family and I knew I would be closer to my daughter. We set things in motion and decided to pull it all together.
Seven months ago, Derek, the love of my life and one day will be my husband, packed up our things and we moved to Michigan. For a North Carolina girl, this was huge for me because I have never lived in any other state. While I have traveled to many places, it was very different packing up my entire life and moving so far from my family. I was leaving everything I have ever known but together, as one, we were moving toward starting a new chapter in mine and Derek’s lives.
Our love story is one that is full of what like I like to call immeasurable love. From the first day we met, we both knew we loved each other and we knew that we were going to embark on something special. We have faced some obstacles in the two years that we have been cultivating and nurturing our love but the most compelling piece of our personal journey is that our love is unshakable and our faith together is stronger than any material foundation. He is my safe place and I am his. Together we have built the best relationship that either of us have ever had.
As we have been settling in our new home and familiarizing ourselves with new surroundings, we both felt a strong desire to seek out a church. We didn’t want just any church. We wanted a church that was a bible teaching church and a place we could keep growing as a couple. We feel we have found that but we are still praying about it. What we do know, is that God is growing us as a couple.
We want to be married and have a marriage that is centered on God. Everything just flows better when God is leading and for us, that is something we both feel is important for us. Not a day goes by that Derek doesn’t show me how much he loves me, and I show him daily how much I love him. It is the little things and we both know that in the world we live in, those little things mean big things.
There is one thing about Derek and I that I find to be the most compelling piece of our relationship. It is the way we both navigate through a storm. I recall one day when I was leaving work. He stayed on the phone with me as I was reciting my day. I was also missing my family back in North Carolina. He told me to wait for him at home and he would be right there to take me somewhere. I did as he asked. When he pulled his car in the driveway, he parked next to me as always. I get in his car and he had a meal for me that he had picked up on the way home. As we drove away from the house, I had no idea where he was taking me. As we drove, he continued to be my safe place as he always is. Soon he pulled into a parking space by a small park that was by the river. There was a covered bridge, ducks, and as we walked across the bridge, we made our way to the swings in the park. It was so nice to forget the day and just be in the moment with each other. Derek pushed me on the swings, and we ran our swings into each other like child’s play. We walked the park, held hands and talked. I felt like I was a child, being held in the arms of my protector. It is exactly what he is. My protector here on this earth. He looks after me and he makes sure I have what I need. As we walked, we noticed a tree that had a heart shape growing in the middle of it. It was so unique and such an appropriate sign on this day.
Recently he and I have gone through a heavy time due to the loss of loved ones. The tragedy was so heavy that we felt we needed to go somewhere and take a walk, to inhale and exhale fresh air. We set out to visit another park and it was so quiet and peaceful there. As we sat on a bench with his daughter and fiancé, I noticed the tree next to us. The tree was towering over us but there was a very large piece of the tree that had been struck by lightening. As I looked at the tree, I noticed how the lightening strike went from the base of the tree to the top. Regardless of how long it had been since it was struck, it was still standing there, deeply rooted in the soil and weathering any storm thereafter.
I thought about the storms of our own life and I reverted back to the tree in the park, the one that had the heart in it. Time and time we see God’s love in nature and we don’t even realize the signs He gives us.
Despite the lightening strikes, the winds and being out in the elements when a storm comes or when it is calm, it is about how deeply anchored your roots are. As we have endured some of our own life storms along the way, the love we have for each other is anchored deeply. No matter the storm, no matter the weather, our love is able to withstand the strongest of storms in life. We know this because we have lived through some pretty tough ones so far. Just like the elements of the weather, we too have endured others who thought they could send a lightening strike our way. Little did they realize just how anchored we are. We know that what we have has been uniquely orchestrated by God to bring us to where we are now.
I am so thankful for Derek and the love he so freely gives to me on the daily. He is my protector, the one who shields me from the storms of life and I am the same for him. We are not perfect but we are perfect for each other. We continue to lift each other up daily but we also pray for each other and with each other. I cannot imagine a relationship where we do not have God in the middle of it. When I look at him, I already see him with the heart of a wife. Every thought, every move I make is made with him in mind. I will never fail him in this life. He is the one I prayed for over and over. I treasure him, his love and I take none of it for granted. He and I are a living testament that God will bring you to where He wants you to be and what He has planned for you.
I know that he will read this because I told him I was writing about him. I wish you could have seen the smile on his face when I told him I was doing so. We are each other’s ride or die person. It is a different kind of love – a love that makes us better and stronger. Believe me when I tell you this – I was giving up on love because I had been praying for so long about the kind of love I wanted. I stayed single for 13 years – waiting and praying. God heard my prayer and brought us together.
I am thankful for everything we have been through so far because it has made us stronger and brought us closer together. Each day we continue to strive to be the best for each other and the best together. When the day is long and the storms come, there is no place we rather be than in each others arms.
Derek, thank you for loving me like you do. My love for you is not just a flame, it is a raging fire that burns eternally. I cannot imagine this life without you. You are my muse to write, to create and to keep pushing each day for you, for us and for our children. I will go with you anywhere you want to go as long as we are together. You are amazing, resilient, strong and it is the way you love me so flawlessly that keeps me falling in love with you over and over each day.
Wherever you are in life, I can only share these things that I feel are necessary to understand. One, you can trust God to give you what you need in life. Please don’t be afraid to let Him in. Two, if you wait on the right person to come to you, they will come but it has to be the right person that God has for you. Three, love is sacred and you must keep it that way at all cost. Last but not least, thank you for taking the time to read this short story about our own little love story. There is so much more but that will be in the book. Derek is my final chapter. I waited for a reason. I can’t wait to write more.
Peace, Love & Happiness,
Christian 🩷
The Sun Will Set To Rise 