My Love

I remember meeting him when we were in 7th grade. All the small schools from different areas of our county merged together to make one middle school and one high school. It was our turn to make the merge and become one school in that very tiny town. I liked him. He seemed fun loving and very much a country boy. He had wild woolly curls that popped out from under his ball cap. He introduced himself to me as Mike. Just about everybody calls him Mike. Somehow in conversation his real name came up, and I decided that I would never shorten it to just Mike. I have called him Michael ever since. I think I was about the only person in high school to call him Michael. I told him the name Michael fit him perfectly and I liked it. He didn't mind at all. I wanted to name our first born after him, but he wasn't in agreement with that. Finally, I got to use the beautiful name for our last son's middle name. It just seemed to fit. He still introduces himself as Mike, but the people that know me well know him as Michael. After being around our family for about 6 months, our oldest son's girlfriend point blank asked him. "What do you go by? I hear you tell everybody your name is Mike, but Julie calls you Michael. What do you want me to call you?" He told her either was fine. That wasn't good enough for her. She persisted, "What do you prefer?" He told her to call him Michael.

It doesn't really matter to him what you call him, but if I were to ever call him Mike it would bother him. Time has come and gone. We have been married for 22 years and I am so thankful that the Lord brought this man into my life. His curls have gone, but his smile remains the same. He received an email the other day from a person at work. It made me smile...

Dear Mike,
I am so fortunate to have worked with you the past couple of years. I value your friendship, your patience, and your values. Especially those concerning your family. I enjoy hearing about your family activities. Your love for your family shines bright when you speak of them. That speaks volumes about a man.

Did I mention that I am blessed? By the way, I have been without a kitchen sink for two days now and I will be doing dishes in the bathroom sink! If he doesn't get it back in soon, I may be calling him worst than just Mike!!!

grace and peace,

julie