(Flickr photo by Keith Smolar)
“There is no such thing as love at first sight. Snap out of it!”
That’s what Patricia Talbert says to her friend Marie in Give the Lady a Ride. As the author, I’m the one who made Patricia say these words, but what I believe and what I wrote are two different things.
In the 1950s, when poodle skirts and bobbie socks were popular, one young woman sat in a rag top Chevy at Snappy’s Drive-In with her cousin in Temple, Texas. She watched a square-built man enter the soda shop, seeing only the back of his freckled neck, maybe a fringe of his red hair. She pulled the soda straw from her mouth and announced to her cousin, “That’s the man I’m going to marry.”
Three months later, she did. A couple of years later, I was born–the product of a love that lasted forty-seven years before Daddy died in January 1997.
Years later, and for reasons I no longer remember, I told this story to a college professor. I always thought the experience was unique to my parents, but I was wrong. The professor told me of her college days, how she’d followed the sweet scent of pipe tobacco down the hall of the academic building to the office of a tweed-jacketed man with a beard. She knew she’d marry him the moment she’d smelled his pipe, seeing him only confirmed the belief. In three months, they were wed. Back when we had this conversation, they’d been married twenty-five years.
I first saw MSB from the back–his broad, movie-star shoulders, the cute little bald spot on the back of his dark head. He sat a few pews ahead of me in the church I’d recently joined, and I had a hard time concentrating on that morning’s sermon because I kept wishing he’d turn around. Later, a mutual friend introduced us. Did I know I was going to marry him when we first met? Well, no. That didn’t come until later. We dated a couple of times that spring, then parted ways for some reason. God knew we weren’t quite ready for each other. But late in August, we reconnected. It was during our first date then that I knew he was the one for me. Another week passed, and he proposed. The idea of waiting for a spring wedding bit the dust, and we eloped in November, just over three months from our second “first date.” We’ll be celebrating our twentieth anniversary this year.
In Give the Lady a Ride, Patricia figures Marie is chasing the potential for love, and finds herself wanting to do the same with Talon: explore the possibility that there could be something worthwhile between them. Whether it’s love or just the potential for it, watching love grow makes for a great story.
What do you think? Love at first sight? Or simple attraction? Did you ever chase the potential? Share your opinion–or your love story–and enter the drawing for this cute Texas armadillo.
Several years into it, and this blog still refuses to be categorized. It's eclectic and includes everything from writing posts to snippets from my ordinary life. 
Linda W. Yezak 
Hi Linda! I do believe that love at first sight is real and potent. My paternal grandparents are a perfect example, and I love this story, which my mother told me:
My grandmother, a teen, was helping her father work in their garden. When she paused in her work and looked at the road in front of their home, she said she saw the most beautiful man walking on the road. She had never seen anyone who made her heart skip beats, who took her breath away, and who seemed almost Heaven sent. He saw her, too, and was just as smitten with her. They married, raised a large family, and stayed loyal and married until my grandfather’s death. When my grandmother died, one thing she said was that she knew she was going to be reunited with my grandfather. True love indeed–begun at first sight.
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I love that story! I wish you’d told us how long they were married.
Thanks for sharing!
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Thanks Linda! My grandparents were married for 50 years at the time my grandfather died. So theirs was a real and lasting love (at first sight).
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I knew BEFORE I met my husband he would be the on God intended for me to spend the rest of my life with. My story is too complicated to mention here. I had been in an abusive relationship, then widowed twice. But through prophetic dreams, visions and Divine Coincidences God promised me a companion to grow old with in health. Nine years ago my current husband and I were married in a fairy tale wedding in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, Africa. Even with the some close calls, I’ve clung to His Promise and we have grown older – in health. I will posting the more complete story on my Blog this week, for anyone who wants to know “the rest of the story.”
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God’s hand on your life. How beautiful! Thanks for telling us, Cecilia!
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Oh, that thing is cute!
I met my husband on a cool autumn night at a football game. When he turned around as we were introduced, my first reaction was “Whoa, he’s cute,” and my gut did a funny vibration thingy. A week later we were dating, but no thoughts I’d marry him. When I was growing up I swore I’d never have kids, I didn’t think I was the Mom type. My husband on the other hand wanted a gaggle of kids, and I thought, well this won’t last long.
One night, he comes to watch me play volleyball, my coach gives me a breather from the court and I look up in the bleachers. There’s my boyfriend holding a friend’s baby and my heart just melted. I wanted to have kids with that man. 2 years later we were married, 12 years and 4 kids later, here we are. Oddly enough, our youngest son was born on the exact day we met for the first time.
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Nothing will melt your heart faster than seeing a guy with a kid. They’re so cute!
Thanks, Winnie!
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I told the story on my blog: http://sheilahollinghead.blogspot.com/2011/02/dream.html
We met in November and married in January. And I knew I was going to marry him before I met him. I told my mother I would be married in three months. She said, “You’re not even dating anyone!”
Immediately after I met Carl, I dreamed of our wedding. So I suppose I believe in love before first sight. 🙂
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God had a hand in it, that’s for sure. Thanks for sharing, Sheila!
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First time I met my husband, he was helping a friend’s husband install a stone stairway into their quaint country cottage built on the side of a hill. The stairway was going down toward the house. He had to move aside for me to get by. He was sweating, had on a ripped tee shirt, and his blonde hair was hanging in his eyes. He looked up at me and apologized. Once our eyes met, it was hard break contact. I almost fell down the stairs. We were married five months later. Thirty-one years ago.
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Sweat. Ripped tee. Disheveled blond hair. Sounds like you should be the one writing romance novels! 😀
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Okay, this is definitely love at first sight: He’s adorable! 😉
I don’t know that believe in *love* in first sight, but I definitely believe that God directs us toward the people He has planned for us and the dominoes just start toppling after that.
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You may be right, Katie. If we’re patient and wait on Him, He brings us to the one intended for us.
Glad you like the ‘dilla!
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Forget about love at first sight; what about love at first write? My wife and I were both newspaper editors living on opposite sides of the country. I wrote to comment on something she wrote and she replied. As I read her reply, I knew right then that she was the one. (She had the same feeling when she read my letter.) Uncanny…we’ll be celebrating our 25th anniversary this year.
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Okay, I feel cheated now. How long did the letter writing continue before you two actually met? I want to know the whole story!
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Love it! 🙂 It was love at first sight for me and my husband as well, although only on my side of the relationship. God knew he wasn’t ready yet for me (neither was I quite ready for him), but 3 months later we were back together and getting closer by the day. Great post. Can’t wait to read the novel!
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God had to let him stew a little longer, huh? MSB and I had to cook a little longer too–all in God’s good time!
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If I wasn’t so guarded and wounded, I would have fell in love at first site with my hubby of eight years. He was patient in his pursuit.
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Aren’t you glad he was!
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I was in town for Labor Day weekend and somehow ended up on a blind double date. My friend’s “date” was more attracted to me. The next day, we switched up. We got married in December. That was 36 years ago. I definitely believe in love at first sight.
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First sight, wrong date. How funny! Sounds like you had a terrific Labor Day weekend!
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Betty’s comment reminds me of a funny thing that happened to me in college. I don’t know who set it up, but five guys from a nearby air base wanted to meet five girls from college for a blind date. I was invited to be in on this unique arrangement. We girls decided to go by height. The tallest girl would get the tallest guy. And I was the tallest girl. When the guys walked into the reception area, my heart did a double flip. The tallest guy was an absolute hunk.
However, the guys had their own plan. They knew our names and they’d decided to chose their date by name before they ever met us. The tall hunk had picked the name Betty Jo (my roommate). 😦 Betty Jo and the hunk were engaged within the month.
But it’s for the better, because had things worked out differently, I may have never met my soul mate in the ripped tee.
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What a terrific story! It worked out well for Betty Jo, didn’t it?!
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I vowed from an early age I would never marry. I had a troubled childhood,which effected my attitude towards men.I became a christian in 1981 and from that day God began to heal my memories and emotions.
After leaving Bible colledge I moved with my family to where I live now.
I love to paint and joined a local art group, and one evening we all went to the studio of a couple of sculptors. They showed us how to handle clay, and demonstrated their skill on some of their large pieces.
Over refreshments I sat talking to Keith the younger sculptor. He was a christian and I found him fascinating,as well as being very good looking.
However, ten years past before we met again. And in the interim, God dealt with my attitude to men, and removed most of the baggage I carried around.
I had always loved the small cottage next to their studio, and God made away for me to rent it.I moved in and over the next few months Keith and I got to know each other. It turns out Keith had also lived for a time in the same cottage.
I quickly realised I was going to marry him, and after dating for about six months we got married. I was forty eight, and had been determind marraige was not for me, but,God had other ideas.
He worked a massive miracale in my life.In those ten years He prepared me for the man I was to love and marry. Only He could have done it. He’s the best match maker there is. We have been married now, for fifteen happy years.I am so glad I trusted God, and allowed him to prepare me for the wonderful man He chose for me.
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What a beautiful story of love and healing! Thank you so much for sharing, Yvonne!
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