A Bundle of Myrrh

Continuing the Saga.

For Parts I-IV go HERE.

Phil was spending the week down on the Texas coast, fishing and quite distracted by what I’d told him before he’d left Austin. I’d dared to utter the “M” word…Marriage and ruined any chance he’d had of “taking it easy” and clearing his mind before he began his pastoral call in Nebraska.

I was in Austin, worried I’d just scared this poor guy off.

But he’d said he would write so I eagerly waited for a letter wondering if in it would be a “Thanks, but no thanks” response to my bold confession.

The day came when his letter should have been in my mailbox. I’d gotten off work and it was pouring rain. The mailbox was across the street so I had to run in that pouring rain to get to it. I had to get to that letter!

And as I ran I laughed as the thought that I was living a devastatingly ROMANTIC Jane Austen moment. It came to my mind. Suddenly I was Mr. Knightly in Emma:

“I rode ran through the rain! I’d – I’d ride run through worse than that if I could just hear your voice telling me that I might, at least, have some chance to win you.”

Oh, you know you all would have thought the same CHEESEY thing!

Fortunately that letter did not squash all my hope. Phil had cracked open the door to considering something more between us. But the “more” we both wanted was not just another “girlfriend” or “boyfriend”. That seemed like a waste of time to us. We’d be all or nothing. And he was open to the possibility of “all”. That was all I needed to know.

As I look back on these couple of months I find it interesting how I had begun to change. Probably not completely coincidence. My interest in the Austin music scene and so much that Austin offers was very much beginning to wane.

I had started to look for another job, being very unhappy where I worked and thinking maybe that would help. I loved spending time with my family and my friends, I loved playing in the band I was in. But there was a stirring. A new sort of dissatisfaction.

I’m sure getting to know Phil had something to do with it, as God was preparing me for the next Change He had for me. He knew I had to be ready to give up all that I would soon be giving up for Phil.  I know now that that was a blessing.

After he left the coast, Phil came back through Austin the following weekend.

There was a lot more nerding out with cousin Wes over Theology books.

A walk down Congress for ice cream and to other places I’d been a 100 times without Phil that would never be the same for me.

We had a “date”…maybe, kind of. A picnic lunch on Town Lake…alone!

And a lot of time to talk pretty seriously about ourselves and the direction we were headed. The topic of wedding rings even came up! What?! No, there was not a proposal…yet.

That evening I took Phil to my meet my mom. And then he was gone…again. Heading to Nebraska to begin his life there.

It would be a long distance thing from now on and both of us still unsure if this was going somewhere.

I was unsure because there were no definite declarations on his part and he was unsure because HE WAS SCARED TO DEATH OF ME! And I can’t blame him for that. I was all kinds of CA-RAZY confident that this was a done deal. What a weirdo.

Between his leaving Austin and getting to Nebraska I asked him if he would mind if I came to his Ordination and Installation. He didn’t mind. So I bought a plane ticket, took off work and headed North.

AND I KNOW EVERYONE ON THAT PLANE WITH ME MUST HAVE THOUGHT I WAS ON SOMETHING! I could not stop smiling! The whole way there I was a ball of nerves with a grin from ear to ear. And I could not believe I was doing this! When had I EVER gotten on a plane and gone somewhere by myself? Never!

I would see Phil again and see where he would be living.

I would see him Ordained and….I WOULD MEET HIS PARENTS! 

Part VI Coming Very Soon!

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