A BREAK FROM THE USUAL: "A Particular Man" Part II

(One last time, a post from Kona Hawaii before I'm home on the mainland again. So from the computers in the exquisite lobby of the 'Hualalai ' Four Seasons Resort I submit to you Part II of  "A Particular Man")

The picture here was taken at our 25th anniversary "vow-renewal" ceremony!

PART II:

Actually when I say he wasn’t my "type," on second thought, I can’t really have known that for sure. When you’re 18 years old, I don’t really suppose we even have enough life under our belts to have figured what “type” we are, much less be able to recognize our opposite sex counterpart that would be a great match.

I must admit, that his age alone made him strangely sexy. He was ten debonair years my senior. Yeah, that’s a turn on! (Was that out loud? Sorry, I digress). He had memorable green eyes and a lean, athletic build and does still to this day, I might add. To add fuel to the unexpected, emotional fire I seemed to have for him, at the ripe old age of 28, he was the Controller of what is now a Fortune 500 company. As a result, he was not only successful in business but also more than financially secure. So, again, he had my attention.

As he became more comfortable with me, I found his dominant, forward feature was his sense of humor; I loved it. Apparently, I was smitten. Even so, somehow I wasn’t fully aware of it yet myself and for sure nobody else knew it either, including my boyfriend, Mark.

Then, without warning, this seemingly shy and quite man suddenly launched an aggressive and unapologetic campaign to gain my attention and affections. What made this so overwhelmingly attractive to me was that it was quite clear that he didn’t care what anyone thought about his over-the-top, public display of flirtation. I know this for sure because most of it was done right in front of Woody. We may have only been dating a few short weeks, but there was no mistaking, he WAS my boyfriend and I was off limits.

I have lived with this man for 32 years now and I can HONESTLY tell you to this day, I’ve never seen him close to showing a passion for, or willingness to pursue anything in like fashion, as he did when he went after me. Two short weeks into our knowledge of each other’s existence, without even a first date under our belts, he told me I was the woman he wanted to marry.

Then something happened; something that neither of us can explain. It had never happened to either of us before. God had made this only for us. To this very day we consider it our sign and seal of a Godly guarantee that we were given, a guarantee that we were meant to be.

I ceased a quiet moment and got him alone. I was overwhelmed with him and I wanted him to know. I confessed that our feelings for each other were the same and we kissed. Just writing it makes me gasp a bit.

Oh how I wish you knew that I wasn’t embellishing what I am telling you now. We kissed. He shook. Something happened. A feeling that we can’t explain passed between us. It was again, other worldly. He stopped, stepped back and said, “Candace, I have to stop." I knew what he meant and I’m glad he did it. I wasn’t so sure I could have.

That was it. I needed no other proof. Planned or not, he’d swept me off my feet. I thought myself “unsweepable." I was in control. I called the shots. Then along came this wonderful wrench thrown in the engine of my tightly wound world. He brought with him, a peace to my existence that I’d never known.

I didn’t have to prove anything to him. I don’t to this day. I’ve literally grown up in front of this man and he’s accepted my every turn. He loves me and our daughters with unselfishness that boarders on the ridiculous.

Here’s how I can best describe my feelings for him today. I am a self-assured woman. I’ve traveled the world alone many times without him. I’ve climbed and summited peaks without him. I’m strong and feel confident and capable of passing through this mortal experience without him. I can do that. I can live without this man, but God help me… I never want to!

When we’ve been apart, even just for a full day of work, when he walks into the room… I find the fullness of my breath! No one is more surprised than I am, trust me. I feel that my physical breathing reaches the deepest part of my soul when he is physically in my presence. It’s a warm, peaceful, safe, full and otherworldly feeling to be curled up by his side. In Genesis 2:24, the scriptures tell us that (speaking of marriage), “Therefore, a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife and the two shall become one flesh;" we are. For without him, I’m not fully complete. Without me, he’ll tell you that he isn’t either. We know this and nothing shall put asunder. God knew we'd need a special love like this.

We have been blessed in so MANY ways and to be sure, "blessed beyond all measure;" But with those blessings, we have also been tested down to the threads of our faith. Tested in ways that have had us consider whether or not we could bear up under the pressure and withstand the pain. But with each passing year... God’s loving and all sufficient grace has become more apparent to us. With this revelation and the gift of eachother, we've learned we can weather the storms which are radar-locked in our direction. As it is with everyone... our bountiful blessing and tumultuous trials will continue to come. It's a part of the human experience.

It's been thirty years of marriage now and a total of 32 together. What have we learned? Plenty! But in a nutshell:

With God at the Center of what HE has joined together-WE ARE GIVING THE ABILITY TO CHOOSE to let no man or woman - no one - nothing - no storms - no trials, nor any other thing... tear us apart nor put asunder.

Still enjoying our 30th wedding anniversary on the Big Island of Hawaii. in Kona's Four Seasons at Most Magnificent 'Hualalai'... I'll be back in touch when I touch down on the mainland again (3 more days and counting).

Until Then,

Live Abundantly....It's up to YOU!

ALOHA and POWER ON,

Candace

www.candacegrasso.blogspot.com for more articles and archives

www.FitIsItCardio.com for information about Candace, her company, to book her for your next speaking event and for information on how to purchase her "iTunes" cardio workouts.