I met this girl who loved God and Shakespeare (in that order). She was smart. Creative. And as pretty as English china. Outwardly decorous, inwardly stubborn—Jane Austen meets the Rebel Alliance. I thought I’d found heaven. I had and I hadn’t. At first we flared up like a firework stand, but then we got scared and put on our flak jackets.
We were a mismatch. She was a soft-spoken church girl who’d secretly turned away from God, then privately clawed her way back to Him; I was a former atheist with too much personality and a very public passion for God. But somehow we thought we could make it work. Same God, same Shakespeare, and yet it wasn’t enough. After two tumultuous years of dancing in flak jackets, we gave up. We’d apparently done something wrong.
Some time after that I ran into her at the same coffee house we’d gone to when we first met. Absent the need to “make it work,” we were astonished at how much we enjoyed each other. We began meeting regularly just to talk (Dutch treat, of course; we were only friends, after all). Soon regularly turned into daily. Anytime anything of significance occurred (roughly every 5 minutes), my first thought was to call her.
We soon realized what our sniggering friends had known all along: we were a thing, a whatever-it-was-we-hadn’t-been-before. And both of us had abandoned our flak jackets. She looked at me one night and said in very un-church-girl language, “Oh, what the hell!” and kissed me. Not in the way you kiss a friend.
One month later, at a ridiculously romantic spot along Monterrey, California’s 17 Mile Drive, I asked her to marry me and took her picture as she said yes. Romantic? Oh, yes. Except that I then opened the back of the camera (thinking it had one of those state-of-the-80s film cartridges—it didn’t) and ruined the entire roll of film. Nevertheless, the image of her saying “Yes!” is firmly mounted in the photo album of my memory.
We set a date for the ceremony and began attending prenuptial-bliss counseling. We took a test. I should have studied harder. The result? We were dangerously different (“tell us something we don’t know”) and were advised to consider spousal alternatives. We’d apparently done something wrong.
We got married anyway. There were bumps in the road, of course—hello, this is marriage. But we never put our flak jackets back on. And we never stopped being best friends. Well, OK, sometimes we did. But when we did it hurt so much we just had to go and tell our best friend about it.
At our Wedding Vows Renewal ceremony
And then there were kids. We apparently did something wrong there too. And something wonderful. Parenting is never just one or the other. It’s always both.
31 years later (today is our anniversary) she’s still beautiful. Still my best friend. Still loves God and Shakespeare. And still loves me. And the firework stand still threatens to go up in flames sometimes.
We apparently did something right.
Ahhhh, what a lovely tribute. Happy anniversary! I think those mismatched marriages are the best kind of all.
Yes, you guys did! A very Happy Anniversary to the two of you!
Thank you!
You’re most welcome!
Happy anniversary Mitch!I would like to meet your wife some day too.Barbara
Sent from my iPad
Thank you, Barbara!
Beautiful! Happy Anniversary.
Thank you!
Wow! I couldn’t agree more! Happy Anniversary for you both!
Thank you, Ron!
How lovely. Happy Anniversary!
Thank you!
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY MITCH – and many more!
Thank you!
That was the best love story I’ve heard in a long time. 🙂
Thank you, Victo!
congrats!! keep those fire works going!
Will do, Nancie!
Just beautiful.
No, That’s My Kind of Love Story. Happy Ever After and all. congratulations Mitch and Mrs. <3 <3 <3 <3
Thank you, Roo!
LOL, my previous comment (posted from my cell) should be “Now…” Not “No…” Totally set myself up for a Mitch wit 😀 Eh. ‘Could be worse 😉
I’ll restrain myself. ;>)
Happy Anniversary & Blessings for many more to come!!
Thank you, Jean!
Thanks for sharing this, Mitch. Happy anniversary to you and your beautiful wife. (We’ll celebrate our 31st anniversary in about 6 weeks).
Thank you, Bill, and congrats back!
Happy anniversary. Its great to hear about great partnerships.
Great post. Home run, Mitch.
Happy Anniversary, Mitch! Fireworks are good:)
Thank you!
Happy Anniversary, Mr. Mitch! What a beautifully-miraculous love story! God is good! 🙂
He is indeed. Thank you, Squid!
CONGRATULATIONS! You certainly have a lovely wife and family. Who would have believed that 40 years ago?Our love to you, and the family.Always, blessings, Joe, Samii and Pierce
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cell: 909.241.6088
SDG Soli Deo Gloria “To God Alone the Glory”
From: Mitch Teemley To: yak_pro@yahoo.com Sent: Thursday, September 15, 2016 6:45 AM Subject: [New post] Something Wonderfully Wrong #yiv3022548477 a:hover {color:red;}#yiv3022548477 a {text-decoration:none;color:#0088cc;}#yiv3022548477 a.yiv3022548477primaryactionlink:link, #yiv3022548477 a.yiv3022548477primaryactionlink:visited {background-color:#2585B2;color:#fff;}#yiv3022548477 a.yiv3022548477primaryactionlink:hover, #yiv3022548477 a.yiv3022548477primaryactionlink:active {background-color:#11729E;color:#fff;}#yiv3022548477 WordPress.com | mitchteemley posted: “I met this girl who loved God and Shakespeare (in that order). She was smart. Creative. And as pretty as English china. Outwardly decorous, inwardly stubborn—Jane Austen meets the Rebel Alliance. I thought I’d found heaven. I had and I hadn’t. At first we” | |
Love back atcha, Joe, Samii, and Pierce. Miss you guys!
What a beautiful tribute to a marriage, Mitch! It’s astounding, how often God brings opposites together. Happy anniversary to both of you!
This is wonderful! Beautiful words to commemorate a beautiful day.
We celebrated 31 years last month. Maybe it was just a good year to get married. 🙂
Thank you, C.J., and congrats back!
Happy anniversary. I loved this post.
Thank you, Robert!
CONGRATULATIONS.
Congratulations!!! Oh how I love this romantic love story! Thank you for sharing it. 31 years is a long time. A friends said, when you’re happy, time flies by. I’ll get her permission to put her quote on my blog. 🙂
Steve and I got married B.T. — before tests — in 1970. Looking back, I’m sure we too would have scored “dangerously different.” I might have been scared off. But, oh, what I would have missed: the life-lessons we’ve learned together, Steve’s best qualities that have rubbed off on me, and three wonderful children (as well as three in-law additions) whose company we greatly enjoy. Thank you, Mitch, for a heart-warming, inspiring tribute to your marriage that makes me say, “Yup. Marriage is pretty wonderful!”
Aw, I like you so much, Nancy.
Thanks, Mitch! You’re easy to like right back.
I love “pretty as English China.”
Congratulations! What a beautiful tribute to ‘both’ of you! Happy Anniversary and may God bless you with many more! 💕💕
You too, Dori!
That’s wonderful! Happy Anniversary to you both! 🙂
Thank you, Katie!
Happy Anniversary Mitch! Thank you for sharing your lovely “Love Story”! God bless you both with many more years!
Thank you!
My heart is so very happy for you both….To love at all, (much less Growing In Love for 31 years!) is no small thing. May the blessing you have in one another multiply throughout your days.
Thank you, as always, for your kind words and blessing, dear Matilda.
Like, like, like! That’s 3 likes…Like! Like! That’s 2 more likes…Anniversary Blessings on you both…soooo romantic… Here’s to being in the fiery forge of becoming one flesh… L’Chaim! –in Jesus… 🙂
L’chaim in Jesus back at you, Rose!
Wow, that is sooooome story! And may you have many, many more exciting and wonderful years together!
Thank you, Laurie!
Congrats… love the story!
What a great post!
Thank you!
You are welcome!
What a lovely and real story. Happy anniversary! My husband and I will celebrate our 30th in just a couple of days, and the mismatch match sounds similar.
Thank you, and congrats to you too!
Beautiful story and even more so because it’s real. Happy Anniversary!!
Thank you, Stephanae!
You’re welcome!
Awesome narration of an everlasting romance! Trapped in the plot from the very beginning and always eager to know the outcome til the last word. Thanks for sharing. And…Happy Anniversary!
Thank you!
You’re welcome
Oh my gosh I love this so much ❤️❤️❤️
Thank you, Madison!
very nice tribute.
I’m late getting to the deluge of email. A belated wish that you two had a marvelous day. Did some things right; did some wrong? And I suppose it’s really not too late to say “Happy Anniversary.” Thanks for including photos of your lovely bride.
It’s never too late to say that. Thank you, Paula!
Mitch, I’ve been meaning to write – and do so now – to thank you for your most lovely and loving testimonial to your abiding love. Blessings!
Aw, thank you, Paul!
Wonderful. Happy anniversary. Your like on my blog led me here to your beautiful open writing. Thanks!
Awwww.
Pretty as English China! My favorite description besides Shakespeare and the Father. Beautiful.
Thank you!
How blissfully wrong and beautiful!
What a lovely story. We need ore of these.
Thank you!
Oops..previous note should read ‘more’…not ‘ore.’ Mind you ‘ore’ is appropriate when you think about the solid rock that you and your wife have – God and marriage.
I guessed “more.” And thanks!
Happy anniversary. What a beautiful story. 🙂
Thank you, Debbie.