College

I met my wonderful husband nearly thirty-eight years ago. Rereading letters my grandmother wrote to me while I was away at college makes it feel so fresh in my mind. Falling in love is amazing!

In one letter she writes “Then the most rewarding and most wonderful of all, in your last year of college-Darrin, comes into your life. I’m sure every girl dreams of just the ‘right man’ and I’m sure every mother, grandmother, and special friends also hope and pray for just the ‘right man’ to come into their special child’s life, special-as you girls have been to me-and I do thank God for Darrin in your life. You are both very special young people-When I got a letter that went something like this “Darrin has so many fine qualities-and none of the other guys I’ve dated can even compare to him!” I thought “I think this is it”-and then I came to know him-how wonderful it all is. God watches over and guides those He loves-you know”.

She continues “I’m sure there are many girls in the world who wish they had what you have-Nothing is more wonderful in a woman’s life than knowing she has the love and respect of a fine man-May sound queer for an old woman of seventy-four to say, but that I believe and know from experience; my mother always said a woman who was not “what she should be” had ruined the life of many a man. And I am happy in the fact that you do love and respect Darrin so much and that is good! He is what I call a “Christian Gentleman” and that covers about everything, and you are a beautiful girl, I mean character, habits, thoughts, etc.,…I am so proud of both of you-you both seem mature which is a quality I like”.

What more can I say? My husband is the most amazing and wonderful man I know. And I agree with my grandmother referring to him as being a “Christian Gentleman”. A fine man indeed!

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Impressioning: My Mother

February 22, 2020September 1, 2020 taylorjamesalbert

I was rummaging through old cards and letters I didn’t even realize my parents still had. I came upon a letter I had written to Mother on her birthday. I really don’t remember writing this letter. I do however, remember being single and a college student at the time.

I have read and reread this letter over the last couple days. I’ve shed many tears, tears being released by all the memories which are coming back to me. And I wanted to share what I wrote to her with you. Many of you are blessed to have such a mother. Many of you may not be. Please remember though, we all have the potential to be this type of mother. It may not be to our own children even, but there is someone out there who surely is in need of your mothering, your unconditional love. Enjoy!

Dear Mother, There aren’t enough opportunities to express the thoughts that occur in the passing of my day. But as I struggle to mature into the person whom you, Dad, and God desire me, I find myself ‘impressioning’ a very beautiful person-that person is you. When you were my age, I was only occurring. Being a mother is very special and my ultimate goal is to be a good mother and wife and I know that I will look back at the manner in which you and Dad reared us. For now though, the Lord is leading me elsewhere, I only pray that I am interpreting his will correctly. His will is all I desire. My life is so confusing, I become frightened, and goof thing up. I wonder how and WHY God would use me-or even want to use me!! But I look at Moses, for one and how doubtful he was. God certainly used him. Life is difficult to understand, but having a Christian home and family is something I am thankful for and do find a security in. Never change, just keep getting better! And pray for me. I know you don’t always agree with the ways I do things, but take those things with a grain of salt. Mother, I just want to wish you a very Happy Birthday and thank you for being someone whom I can impression myself after. Love you always.

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My Husband: Smitten By His Voice

February 20, 2020December 31, 2020 taylorjamesalbert

At our first meeting I recall my future husband being very quiet, not saying too much. As our encounters continued I was taken by his deep voice, though I really don’t recall actually being aware of its charm until a few weeks later. We had both been invited by the same person; an older man now deceased to listen to a guest speaker at the local junior college. Neither of us was aware this older man was a mutual friend. Had he invited us both hoping we would meet at this lecture? Possibly.

I had had to stay late at the fabric store where I was working and as a result the lecture had already started by the time I arrived. Assuming no one was noticing my entrance I quickly took a seat at the front of the room. I do recall the name of the guest speaker, but I will admit I remember very little about what he had to say. At the conclusion of his lecture, the guest speaker took questions from the audience.

Being in the front row I could not always see the person asking the question. While I don’t recall what he asked, I do recall recognizing his voice! Near the back of the room a deep and smooth voice very quickly got my attention. He later admitted he noticed me when I found a front row seat. Well, actually he confessed he noticed my “backside” to be exact.

I have always loved the sound of my husband’s voice. True, it sometimes gets a bit high sounding, like whenever he is letting himself go or whenever he is frustrated or irritated. And I may not always like what he has to say, but I do love to hear his deep and smooth voice just the same. I love having conversations with him, and maybe even more so enjoyable when over the phone because I can really focus on listening to his voice.

After the lecture, I invited him to a party at my apartment. I really didn’t give much thought as to whether or not he would come. Our gatherings were quite often very casual, just a group of college friends enjoying being together. I guess I figured if he was interested he would stop by some time during the evening. Truth be told I was a bit surprised when the next morning my roommate handed me the phone and said Darrin was on the line. Taking the phone I responded to my roommate by saying “Darrin, Darrin who?”

Now, before you decide I was a bit cold or worse, I must confess I was still sleeping when he called. And I really don’t remember why he called or what we talked about that morning. I do know he did come to the party and I do know I enjoyed listening to him talk. No, I really didn’t just enjoy listening to him talk, I was smitten by his voice and I still am.

p.s. My husband’s name has been changed to protect his innocence.

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Thirty-Three Discoveries

February 7, 2020December 2, 2020 taylorjamesalbert

While finishing a degree I had started several years ago, one of my course assignments was to list thirty-three things I discovered as a result of returning to school. Obviously there had been lots of years and lots of learning between the start and finish dates of this degree. I highly recommend to anyone who enjoys learning to return to college. It is well worth the opportunity of challenging yourself to grow. Enjoy!

That my gut instinct in many things in life has been right.
That life is all about learning, growing, and caring.
That success is more about how you succeed than if you succeed.
That how you play is more important than if you win.
That I have improved my writing and thinking skills.
That I still (if not more than before) desire to become a writer.
That each of us is made up of many fine qualities, along with some not so fine qualities.
That to fall asleep at night knowing I’ve given my best.
That there are many, many ways of looking at things.
That I am very blessed.
That a leader encourages growth.
That a controller is not a leader, but a failure despite the numbers or the scores.
That I want to continue growing, developing, learning, and loving.
That I still have so very much to offer.
That I am ever so grateful for those difficult times, people, and situations in my life, though painful, I have grown through the experiences and often despite the experiences.
That I still love learning.
That ones walk does talk louder than ones talk talks.
That the most important person to trust is yourself, which in doing so, then allows trust in others.
That failure is not failure, but one step closer to success.
Did I mention that I am blessed, life is good, and I am very glad?
That I am rediscovering myself again.
That integrity still wins the day.
That there is still hope.
That because I believe there is still hope, there is.
That I do indeed have a purpose uniquely my own.
That maybe I already knew all of this, but that it has been such a rewarding experience having had this opportunity and to realize it, once again.
That the Golden Rule is still worth its weight in gold.
That we are all at different places in life, which is exactly where we are supposed to be.
That coming from the heart is the best, truest, and most sincere place from which to begin.
That being real, not perfect, but real, is the only honest and best place to start.
That wisdom comes with experience and experience comes with age.
And for all of this, I am forever thankful.
Who knew?