in honor of Judy O’Hara

As some of you know, today I am in DC for the O’Hara St Patrick’s Day Clan Dinner and Party. This marks about 25 years that I have been coming up here….only missing 2 in 25 years.  I forgot to download pics for the blog…so stop by later and there may be some here.

Also…thanks for reading!!!!  And hope you have an awesome St Patrick’s Day.  This post is in honor of my dear wonderful and loving friend Judy O’Hara.  After fighting a long good fight with cancer, she went to heaven a month before I met Louis.  I like to think of Judy whispering in God’s ear….Now, let’s talk about Marti.  It’s about time that she met the other 1/2 of her pair.  RIP Judy O’Hara!  We love and miss you!!!!

More about me and Louis!!!  YAY!!!  I knew I couldn’t keep the romantics in my life happy if I didn’t keep telling the story….

OK…so now…we have my buddy Marc who was praying with me.  Don who was giving me life changing scripture.  Becky and Lowell who were praying with Louis and Jennifer who was just being the messenger, right?  Oh yeah…and about 20 women in my Bible Study and my 2 girlfriends who wrote lists with me.  Could there BE any more people involved?!?!?!?

So….Jennifer calls Becky that night, the 22nd…leaves a message.  Becky calls back on Sunday the 23rd with the number.  Jennifer calls Louis.  Louis says after Christmas he will call…as he was busy prepping for the Christmas Eve Service.  And I hear…after the holidays…which I think after New Years.

So, the 26th rolls around and I get a couple of calls from a number I don’t recognize and I am afraid it’s work…so yes…I screen the call, because I am on vacation!  No message is left.  Then it dawns on me DUH! maybe it is Louis.  So, I call JP and plug Louis’ number into my phone, so I will know that it is him.  Because it WAS him calling.  We still disagree about him not leaving a message to this day!  :o)  But the story is so much better this way!

So, the 27th of December (piece of trivia….yes, we got married a year from the date we first talked on the phone!!) rolls around…this is where it gets interesting…..and I am meeting with a neighbor and his friend looking at their business plan.  They had some business idea that they wanted to pass by me.  My friend had to cut out and left me with the other guy.  I started to get a little nervous.  Something just didn’t feel right.  I felt like I was in a dangerous predicament.  I tried gently to get him to leave…and he wouldn’t take my hints.  We had begun to have some theological discussions….not quite debates….but we definitely had some differences in opinion.  For one…this guy thought he WAS Jesus.  So, I started to pray…Lord, get me out of this.  This doesn’t feel right at all, while still remaining calm.  So after a minute or 2 (which felt like and hour or 2) my phone rang.  Yes…you know what is coming….I look at the phone and it was Louis calling.

I look at my visitor and said..I am so sorry, but I have to get this call.  I had been waiting for this call….like all my life!  So, I did.  and the rest is history.    The guy finally left my home.  Only for me to find out later, that he was in fact a bit dangerous.  He had allegedly stabbed someone previously for have a religious disagreement.  The Lord had answered my prayer for help and brought me the other 1/2 all at the same time!  I thank Him for his protective hand!

Louis and I talked for a while on the phone, and we decided to actually meet face to face.  Louis DID NOT know about Mr December at all.  He was just calling because Becky and Jennifer made the connection.  I let Louis pick our first date (not EVEN thinking about God’s assurance that I would meet him IN December).  And Louis suggested Sunday, which I thought was a great idea..especially after I checked out the date…..December 30th!

God had in fact brought me a DATE (not necessarily the other 1/2) in the month of December.  So, we went to dinner at Edo’s Squid on our first date.  In fact, Louis came back on New Years Eve to attend my party.  I held a NYE party for some of the neighborhood kids to give them a safe place to hang out.  Ordered pizza, played video games, and a few other friends came over as well.  We call this our 1/2 a date….where he first started serving in the community with me.

Sunday night continued to be date night for us.  Louis would come over about 3 or 4pm.  We’d hang out with the kids…watching football, etc.  Then, we would drop them off at youth group before going on our date.  So…he’s serving SBH with me from the get-go.

The kids were asking all kinds of questions.  Were we dating?  Were we having sex? (although they were WAY more crass than that…but this is a G-rated blog!) Have we kissed? etc.  This will have to be a whole another post one day.

You see…there was one problem….I really didn’t like him all that much when we first met.  Nothing really in particular…just didn’t like him.  My co-workers were cheering me on….Just give him another chance!!!  Don’t be so hard on him!  etc.  I wasn’t quite sure that I really knew him.

By the end of January..I had to have a LOOOONG talk with God about this. Rarely do I know what God is up to when He is doing His thing. And…this was one of those times.  I had a LOOOONG talk with God. Saying….basically….God….I don’t want to waste any time with anyone who is not THE one.  But, I really don’t like this guy so much….he’s a nice guy….just not for me.  So, I KNOW you introduced us in the crazy way for a reason.  I KNOW You know what I need…and I want what YOU want.  So…IF this is the guy…you need to change my heart and change it fast, because I’m about to kick ’em to the curb…..and kick him soon.  So…change my heart, Lord…if this is the one.

As you know…I had prayed for the other 1/2 of my pair…to serve SBH.  If that happened to be my husband…that’s just icing on the cake.