Waiting and Watching, but Still Pursuing

Celebrity crushes. We all have at least one. That person that we would freak out in the presence of and probably die if they were somehow to magically ask us out on a date. I know that I have several. I like them because they are cute or they have a great personality on the show or movie on which they perform. So why am I not attracted to the same type of guys in real life? Because in reality, I know that cuteness and fake personalities mean nothing. Okay, so maybe I find some meaning in how a guy looks but honestly I don't really find myself attracted to a guy until I know his personality. So why am I grounded in reality in some ways and stuck in a fairy tale other times? Because I've watched. My parents' relationship, for one, has set me looking for the right guy. They love each other unconditionally, even when they get on each other's nerves. And while I obviously wasn't present when my dad was wooing my mom, I have heard the story hundreds of times. He took the time to court her and show her that she was more special than anything to him. Yet when he wasn't so sure about whether she was the one from him, she stepped in to convince him. Love letters, holding hands, long late night walks, and then marriage. Only after marriage did other things come into the picture--things that brought my two wonderful sisters and I into this world. Now, their love story hasn't diminished, instead it has grown. There are still love letters, holding hands, long late (for them) night walks, and most importantly marriage. My parents have faced trials. They've fought. They've made up. They've been scared their life partner wouldn't survive. Yet today they have been married for 36.5 years. So I've watched their love story continue to walk across the pages it was written upon and listened to the story of how it began. I've also learned from my friends. I've watched the hot jerks rip apart the hearts of those I hold dear. I've also watched the sweet guy do the same to my friends. Yet when I start to question whether a love story like that of my parents is a thing of the past decades, I look around me at my sisters and friends. While I've seen the pain and frustrations of failed relationships for both my friends and sisters, I have also witnessed the healing that comes from romance in reality. Both of my sisters are married and have a "beautiful" love story. My oldest sister has been married for seven and a half years now and has two beautiful little girls. The highlights of her love story? Her husband drove 7 hours one way just to ask my dad in person if he could date my sister. They knew on their second date that they had met the "one". They dated. He wooed. She fell. They got married. Since then, they have faced many challenges and really struggled at some points as all marriages encounter, but the difference is that they haven't given up. They kept fighting through the problems and through this they have a beautiful two year old biological daughter and a precious four year old adopted daughter. Their love story has grown. It started out sweet and amazing and kinda mushy for a 13 year old girl, but it has only gotten better the more they have gone through together. My other sister has only been married for a year and a half, but her love story is just a precious to me. She married a boy from our hometown. In fact, she married my best friend's older brother. Yet they didn't start dating or even really "liking" each other until he was a freshman and she was a sophomore in college. Even though he had met my parents and we all knew it was coming, he refused to begin dating my sister until he had received my dad's blessing in person. These two encountered struggles even before they got married. They spent over a year and a half in a long distance relationship, and it pushed them to their limits at some points. Yet today they are married and a beautiful couple. They've faced struggles in their short year and a half, but they have a different view on things than the world. They choose to talk and work it out instead of giving up. Both of my brother-in-laws made a point of asking my dad before even thinking of proposing to my sisters. So all this said, I could go on and on about several of my friends who have just started their love stories--both in dating and marriage--but instead I'll get to my point. Romance and fairy tales still exist. They just take work and understanding to keep the happily ever after a reality. So I'm holding out for my prince charming. Someone that will woo me, and be willing to go through my father before coming to me with the dating and marriage question. The one who will continually work with me and understand me as I am. So here's to waiting and watching for the one my King has chosen for me. Yet I'm not going to just sit here and wait for someone to show up on my doorstep. Don't worry, I'm not a believer in magical appearances of the prince, but I do believe I will meet the right person in God's timing.