Two Years After "Hello"

Today is the two-year anniversary of a day that changed my life forever. Two years ago today, Mark Cragg introduced himself to me through (blush of shame) Facebook--it was, more or less, a new introduction, though we had plenty of friends in common from Wheaton. Admittedly, he remembered me better than I remembered him, and something about me piqued his interest.

Immediately interested as well, I responded to his gesture of friendship. And thus began a carefully played email exchange over the course of a couple weeks. This string of getting-to-know-you emails led to a phone call two weeks after Hello; which led to a visit in Atlanta one month later; which began a school year of seeing each other as often as we could (about every 3 weeks) and talking long hours on the phone every night (at about 10 pm); leading to a summer together in Chicago ... at the end of which he asked me to marry him (and I said, rather famously, "Yes ... oh my gosh, it's gorgeous ... Yes!").

Mark and I took a moment this morning to look back through some of those initial correspondences--I sitting at my computer, with Mark standing behind my chair, resting his unshaven chin on my head. It was almost surprising to see how forthright we were with each other from the get-go. We dove right into conversations about our parents and families, theology, aspirations for the future ... and were vocal in affirming those things about each other we were impressed with. I guess that's what's different as between long-distance dating and getting to know someone in closer proximity. But I'm thankful for the speed of our relationship's progress. When you know you've found someone unlike anyone else you've ever known, you know moving forward can only bring good things.

Still, as sure as I was from the beginning that Mark Cragg was someone very special, I'm still undone by how perfect he is for me. How did God know I so direly needed everything he offers--from our alignment on shallower issues like style, striking the balance between caring about fitness but not caring too much, and being incorrigible snugglers, to the way we virtually know each other's thoughts on more significant matters because they are our own. He challenges me in precisely the areas I need to be sharpened the most: his confidence, strong sense of leadership, selflessness, and tremendous love of people while being an independent person.

We marvel aloud (and often) at how it's possible we've only been married less than 8 months, and only known each other 2 years. It's difficult to remember life before him, and impossible to imagine life without him now. We're the other's best possible companion--how did our love not find the other sooner?