Our Love Story Part 6

At this point in the story, if you are still hanging with me, there is probably a very curious part of you that is ready to know what in the world is up with the hair.  Well if it makes you feel any better, at this point in our story even I was wondering what was up with the hair.  As our relationship progressed, every time I would ask him if he was going to ever cut it again, he would reply vaguely, "Someday." My clean cut Father was "curious" to be sure.

In November following his accident, we had a talk about when we might consider getting engaged. The reality was that we were poor and young and affording a ring might as well have been impossible.  I felt frustrated because, lets face it, when you know you are committed to someone, the purity battle becomes MONUMENTALLY difficult.  As Christmas ebbed closer we decided to split the holiday visiting his family in Illinois and my family in Colorado.  With every quiet moment or trip to a special place I hoped that magically he had found a ring and was going to propose.  Illinois passed with nothing.  We headed to Colorado following Christmas day for a few days in the mountains with them.

Little did I know that Bob's Mom had given him a diamond of hers back in November and that part of the trip to Illinois was to pick up the ring that Bob's Dad was having redone for me.  To this day I am amazed Bob held it until he could ask Daddy for my hand.  Such a good guy.

I had a busy day on December 29th.  I was scheduled to work at my part time REI job and so I left Bob up in the mountains and worked until 5 or so.  I got to Mom and Dad's around 6, and changed into the most god awful comfy clothes possible (I laugh at my own self in theses pictures).  There we all were, Mom, Dad, Grandma, Bob and I when he said he had something special for me.  He got up from the table and filled a box with water.

He brought it over and proceeded to wash my feet and dry them with his hair.  He told the the story of the woman who washed the Lords feet with her tears and dried them with her hair.  "Just as the woman did not deserve God's grace, Bethany, I don't deserve you.  I love you and want to spend the rest of my life loving you.  Will you marry me?" He had asked for my hand that day and my entire sweet family witnessed it all.  Without hesitation I said "YES!"

Unbeknownst to Bob he had done the one thing that I prayed my beloved would do without even knowing it.  He had washed my feet.  And his hair?  He knew he was serious about me from the start.  Not long after our first date he knew he wanted to marry me and chose to do something big about it.  No one knew why he grew out his hair.  It was a gesture of great commitment.......for me.

Let me tell you, when you let Him, God can write and unbelievable story.

Now about that first kiss.....

Our Love Story Part 5

October 4th 2003, a year after our first date, we decided to celebrate with a day of rock climbing.  Just the two of us.  We went up to Canyon Creek and picked the most remote quiet spot.  We had climbed all day.  Bob was the lead climber who set the routes for us (basically he would free climb, clip onto the rock then clip the rope in).  Its a dangerous job because even though I "belay" him at the bottom, he isn't top roped.  If he would climb past his last clip in spot, I couldn't stop him until he fell past his last clip.

I should have told him no, after all I was exhausted, but when he asked if we could do one more climb I said yes.  At about 25 feet off of the ground he clipped into the rock.  He climbed to about 30 feet and hit a tough spot in the climb.  He knew it was a potential fall spot so he called down.  "Hold on"  I said and then broke the biggest rule of belaying, I took my hand off of my brake rope.  It was twisted.  I was uncomfortable and I needed to reposition. He didn't hear me.  In a second all I remember was the sound of the rope rushing through my harness....he had gone for a tough grab and had missed.  Instinctually I reached out and grabbed the burning rope with all my strength. I gripped and burned my hands but I stopped it.   Where was Bob?  I looked to my left and he was unconscious, dangling at the end of the rope, a mere foot from the ground.

I was in shock,  as I gently set him down and moved towards him he began to convulse and I saw the rock covered in blood....so much blood.  Bob had hit his head on the rock on the way down.  I got to him, scooped his head and chest into my arms and held his lifeless body.  All I remember thinking was that if this was his final time he was not going to be alone.  I held him covered in blood and screamed up on that mountain, "God, please, please don't let him die!  Lord please, please save him.  Don't take him from me." For a solid minute I did not know if he was going to live or if he was going to die.  I have never felt so afraid.  To find my love only to loose him so foolishly.  Lord it just couldn't be.

He gasped and came to.  He knew who he was.  He knew where he was, he remembered what happened.  He had a huge gash in his head and was loosing blood and we were up on the side of a mountain.....with no phone signal.  What were we going to do?  As I watched him lying there trying to evaluate himself after I had inadvertently dropped him off the side of a mountain, I had this sinking feeling that our relationship was over.  He would never trust me again.  How could he?  But I couldn't think about that.  I started praying again, "Lord how are we going to get off of this mountain?"  I looked and looked and way off in the distance below us I saw 2 hikers.  To this day I believe they were God ordained and quite possibly angels. We had seen NO ONE all day. I yelled at them and they heard me.  When they reached us Bob was hanging onto consciousness, but barely.  Now this is where it gets goose bumpy.  The first hiker was an EMT.  Not only was he able to assess Bob, but radioed for an ambulance and was able to help get Bob down the mountain. He was also a seasoned climber and was able to retrieve all the gear.

The ambulance rushed Bob down to the hospital with me following close behind.  I walked into the hospital looking like a victim myself.  I had not realized how covered in blood I was.   My hands were blistered from the rope. I didn't care.  The waiting felt like forever.  I felt as though I was living the final moments of a once beautiful relationship. "No way will he forgive me for this."  After more than 6 hours in the hospital and 11 staples we went home (Another God thing.....they didn't have to cut his long hair through this either....trust me, you are about to find out about all that).  My roommates and I let Bob stay in our apartment off campus because someone had to wake him up every two hours and watch for concussion symptoms.  I got him to bed and in the wee hours of the morning just wept, and wept, and wept.  He must have heard me because he woke up and asked me to come lay down with him.  Even through his pain he snuggled me up in his arms and said the most beautiful words to me, "Bethany, its okay, I forgive you.  I still love you." 

 It was more than I could bear.  My tears had no end.  There truly was no doubt.  He was my One.  God's grace and unconditional love given to me.

That was a true trial by fire, but we emerged from it changed people and more committed than ever to the future the Lord had for us.  As he recovered I knew without doubt that I wanted to marry this man, and soon, but did his timeline match mine?  Would a ring be in my future?