Nostalgia

 

I remember the first time I met my wife, I had reluctantly visited a new youth group. To my surprise, upon my first visit their were only two people in the youth room. I was about half hour early and two individuals were my “now” wife and her best friend. They were practicing a song they would be singing in the main service. It took all of 10 to 15 minutes of looking and hearing her for me to decide that this was the girl I wanted to marry. Of course she didn’t even know I existed, but I would work on that.

The area we lived in didn’t have much for teenagers to do, however it did have an ole’ school roller skating rink. This was our towns teenage mecca. Sure enough our first outing as a group and my first outing with my “now” wife was the roller rink. This would ultimately be where we would hang out the most, where I would eventually give her a “love” note shouting my love for her and the place where we would publicly hold hands for the first time. The rink had memories.

After a year as friends, a year courting (yes I used the world courting) and a year engaged, I finally married the love of my life. It was inevitable. She had no chance, my charm was cranked super high. Plus, I always get what I want. We married on September 21, 1996. Okay, yes, she was engaged during high school, but I made sure she had a nice diamond ring to show off. We were young and free.

The roller rink closed shortly after being married due to the economy and with that a chapter in our lives. We still live in the same town and through the years drive by the rink turned gymnasium, and recall all the silly nights of fast skate, chicken dances, slow skate (oh yeah) and so on. I must admit, as married couples/adults we sometimes try so hard to purposely create memories, but the best ones are the ones that happen by chance. It’s the little things that you end up missing the most.

Fast forwarding to 2013. Nineteen plus years from our first visit and two kids and a mess of “grown-up” responsibilities, the roller rink has reopened. Yes, its true and the rink has never looked better. Christian skate night, just like the good ole’ days. I must admit I felt a little giggly entering the place. The music was already blaring and the lights were flashing. Wow, its been sometime. Tonight was somewhat special. See we were here celebrating my daughter's fifteenth birthday. And the same DJ who spun the tunes some nineteen years earlier, and whom also was our wedding DJ, was back in his booth calling out for request. The new Christian night didn’t attract as many as in the past, but that was alright by me.

Tonight, I watched my beautiful daughter skating around the rink and I saw in her my wife at the same age. The laughter, her hair blowing by as she skated, the memories of silly games and 50 cent cokes. Tonight was a reminder of how much of a blessed man, husband and father I am. I had my two beautiful and healthy kids skating around. I had my bride (my girl) next to me in slow skate and I had the memories of how we got here. The evening was perfect and yet another reminder of God grace and love. I am a privileged man.
                   

Sometimes we over look the simple things in life and the ones closest to us. We strive for bigger and better things all the while they are right under our roof. Would I like to be young again and relive those butterflies in my stomach moments, or the sneaking of love letters, the first holding of hands or first kiss, of course, who wouldn’t. Growing old is inevitable. As my father-in-law says, “on your tombstone will be your birth date and your going home date, but between it is a dash. Its what you do in the span of that dash that matters most.” If I had to do it over again , I would do it just the same. Here is to many more skate night’s honey.