Once Upon a Time.....

....in a land far, far away, there lived a beautiful but heartbroken girl of 19. Her selfish fiance had left her a mere 5 months before their wedding. She was not sure she would ever find a suitable husband. Her father was a renowned man in their land and the girl and her family enjoyed travel, beautiful clothes and a large and lovely home.

The girl's father was dismayed at his daughter's heartbreak. He wanted only for her to be happy and to marry a good man. He encouraged his daughter to make a list of the attributes she wanted in her future husband. He reminded her that looks are fleeting and money doesn't last. The girl's father was a harsh judge of any suitors that came to call, and had two responses to them all, "I'm not impressed," and "He's a zero."

The girl's list had three items on it:

• A truly Christian man who wanted to raise a Christian family
  
• He had to be at least as smart as she (no more dumb princes for her!)
  
• He had to want to put her and the family above his games and buddies
  

In a neighboring kingdom, there lived a smart young farmboy. While he lived a sheltered life, he grew handsome and intelligent and firm in his faith in God. He travelled to the girl's kingdom to further his education, and it was during their schooling that they met.

The class was in the evenings, in a room with a semi-round area for the pupils to gather. At one end of the crescent sat the girl, and at the other sat the boy. She caught his eye and smiled. He didn't look like the other boys she had been interested in. He looked more rough around the edges, but there was something about the way his black hair hung in his eyes and the way he smiled back at her. She wrote his name on her tablet when the instructor called roll.

During the class break, the girl looked for the boy that had been sitting next to the farm boy. She asked many questions and learned that the farm boy was a smart young man, seeking a degree in Engineering (smart! The girl mentally checked an item on her list). When the class resumed, though, he was nowhere to be found. The girl was crestfallen and wondered if she would ever see the farm boy again. Quietly, the door next to her opened, and the farm boy came and sat in the empty seat next to her. He leaned in close and asked, "What did I miss?". She immediately fell for his blue eyes, flecked with gold, such a gorgeous contrast to the black hair. She mumbled an answer and quickly moved to cover his name written on her tablet. After the class, the farm boy offered to let the girl use his textbook if she needed it.

Two days later, the girl's telephone rang. It was the farm boy. He was offering again the use of his book, and asked if perhaps she would like to accompany him on an outing the following Friday. She rushed to accept his offer. The boy arrived in his carriage to collect the girl, and he brought her a single, red rose. When they left, the girl's father said, "This one's a little bit better." They had a lovely time seeing a moving picture titled "The Three Amigos". They both laughed a great deal and enjoyed each other's company immensely.

The girl invited the boy to accompany her the following evening to a party and he accepted. That was a Saturday night, and as they watched the television into the wee hours of Sunday morning, the farm boy commented that he needed to return to his dwelling soon, as he was to attend a church service the following morning. The girl was surprised and pleased at his commitment! His parents lived several kingdoms away! They would never know, but the farm boy was dedicated to his religion. (The girl checked another point on the list!) That night they shared their first kiss. When their lips met, a song began to play on the radio. It was sung by a maiden named Debbie Gibson and was called "Lost in your Eyes".

That Sunday, the girl took her brother with her to visit the farm boy in his dwelling. The other boys who lived in that domicile had pictures and posters of buxom young maids all over their walls. The farm boy, however, had a picture of his young niece, a two year old, on his desk. (The girl checked off the last point -- this boy loved his family!)

They continued to see each other every day. Although the girl had other suitors, she thought only of the farm boy. By the time they had known each other for two weeks, she knew he was the one for her. He invited her to travel that spring to the kingdom where he was from to meet his family.

While his family seemed to accept the girl, they also showed her photographs of all the other girls that vied for the farm boy's attention every summer. The girl was distraught thinking of how they would be apart. She asked the farm boy if they might make a promise to each other before they parted, that they would always be together. He answered, "Actually, I was thinking of buying you a ring."

They went the next day to the town jeweler where they picked out a beautiful diamond ring. As the farm boy made payment for the ring, a song started to play in the jewelers establishment. The song was "Lost in your Eyes."

8 months later, they were married in a gala ceremony with trumpets and singers and men and maids standing by. The guests were all dressed in their finest clothing, and a tall cake with swans of spun sugar was on a table before them. A magician performed illusions for the guests and a string quartet played quiet music. The date was December 22, 1989.

The farm boy became a Preacher Man, the girl became a midwife, and they went on to have at least seven children together.

This story ends, as all good fairy tales do....

Happily Ever After