Category Archives: Marriage

Young Love (#66)

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I continued to attend family get-togethers and church functions in Chicago as a single girl without her partner, repeatedly explaining where Nate was and why he wasn’t with me. But I took heart in knowing that soon I’d be able to stop explaining and start introducing!

vietnamAlthough there was still the possibility that Nate would have to go to Vietnam, it seemed unlikely, and we never talked about it. But with Nate in a military environment learning how to wage war, I’m sure it was on his mind.

July 18, 1969 – Dearest Meg, future Wife. Last night before I went to sleep, I thought of how secure I was in your love. I could go directly to Vietnam from here for a year and never doubt you lovingly awaiting my return. That you love me makes me the most fortunate man in the world. And I never tire of looking at your beauty and telling you of it. You are an enchanting woman.

July 18, 1969 – Dear Nate. Thank you for the wonderful letter I received today. It’s so encouraging to hear you say so many nice things about me. I love you for giving me a lot more credit than I deserve! Thank you so much.

July 19, 1969 – Dearest Fiancée. I wish I could describe in words my feelings – after a hot, dusty day in the field, coming back to a letter from you. If I could describe that, I would be a Tolstoy. I just shaved “out of my helmet” which is better done in the evening while there’s still daylight. We rise so early each morning, it’s still dark out – hard to see what I’m doing!

July 19, 1969 – Dear, DEAR Nate. My parents keep mentioning your letter and how pleased they were with it. They are already thinking of you as part of our family. I attended a church function last night, and they were there, too. Dad mentioned how glad he was about our wedding, and he’s far more enthusiastic than I’d ever hoped! Mom, too, is really excited.

July 19, 1969 – Dearest Meg, my Love. You are the best thing in my life. You come before law, the Army, and everything else. And together we will worship the Lord. I love to pray. I especially love our prayer times together, asking for guidance, power, and strength. I thank Him many times a day for you and for our love. I believe He is blessing us in this separation. He’s making us love each other more and more and more. (But I do wish you were here in this pup tent with me!)

July 19, 1969 – Dear Nate. You remember my friend Connie. Tonight she threw a big party for her folks’ 25th wedding anniversary after working very hard on it. There was dinner and then a mock wedding, and Connie was the bride, wearing her mother’s bridal gown. I sang a duet with another friend. We hammed it up on “Ah, Sweet Mystery of Life.” People laughed at all the right places. Pastor Sweeting came up afterwards and said, “You should sing for us on Sunday evening in the main auditorium. How about 8:45 pm?” Of course the auditorium is empty by 8:30. As he turned to go, he said, “I’m anxious to tie that knot!” Me too!

July 19, 1969 – Dearest Meg. I just got a letter from my brother, who said he got a leave to be at our wedding on 29 November. So he will definitely be my best man. By the way, I don’t think you should take the pill when we’re married. If there is even one chance in a trillion that it would injure you, I would never want you to use it. I love you!

friendlyJuly 19, 1969 – Dear Nate. Everybody here is anxious to meet you, all the people at the church. You’ll be going through a lot of introductions, I’m afraid. But you’re so good at a friendly hand-shake, I hope it won’t be too painful for you. I’m so proud of you and can’t wait to “show you off!” (That’s a compliment, in case it didn’t sound like one.) I’m especially glad I won’t have to say, “I wish you were here” much longer… because you will be! Yipeeeee!

“Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed.” (Ecclesiastes 4:9)

Young Love (#65)

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With Nate’s Army camp graduation only a week away, we could envision the day when we wouldn’t have to “converse” in letters but could talk face-to-face. Meanwhile, I “borrowed” another old photo from Mom’s albums, since Nate seemed to enjoy them. There was much we still didn’t know about each other’s childhoods.

tom-and-margaretJuly 17, 1969 – Dear Lover. Enclosed is another “oldie,” this one of Tommy and me on a family vacation in St. Petersburg, Florida – 1950. The dress is a bit revealing, but I didn’t have much chest to hold things up in those days. Today Marti and I talked hour after hour, some of that time cooling off at the beach. I wish you could have unlimited water like that, too. Only one more week and it will be yours! You’ve done so well there – in attitude, stamina, and spiritual faithfulness. What an encouragement and strength you are to me for being those things. The Lord surely must be smiling on your every effort.

July 17, 1969 – Dearest Meg. I’m so proud when my friends here ask me about you. I know my fiancée is the finest in the universe. I am so anxious to marry you! And I have loved your descriptions of what life will be like when we are married, your stories. You have an excellent imagination and ability to write. And thank you for working so hard on wedding plans. Don’t let yourself get overwhelmed. We’ll make the rest of the decisions in August. Deciding things together isn’t so difficult.

July 17, 1969 – Dear Nate. I think I found my bridal gown, the one I’m going to get! I tried different veils on, too, so beautiful. Mary, Mom, and Aunt Agnes all went with me, and we made a party out of it. It was so much fun. The only problem was that as I stood looking at myself in a 3-way mirror all ready to walk down the aisle, I wanted to marry you immediately! It’s so hard to wait.

encouragementJuly 17, 1969 – Dearest Meg. Thank you for the many greeting cards and tremendous letters you’ve sent. When I get those words from Meg on a bivouac at night after chow, my morale soars. Thank you very much. I’m sorry my letters take so long to get to Chicago. I get yours in about 2 days. And I love every one of them!

July 18, 1969 – Dear Nate. Dad and I had “the wedding talk” about money. I asked if I could have the same amount of money as Mary had, and he said something that proves how strongly he approves of our marriage. He said that whatever I spend is up to me. He just said I should use common sense and after I do, I can get whatever I really want. So I’m going to run out and buy that gown I want! He’s the greatest – and so are YOU!

July 18, 1969 – Dearest Meg. We had a hard day in the field today. After all day in the hot sun, they botched up the water supply. Each of us got only one cupful from afternoon to evening. That was a little nasty. Also, one of our flares set off a grass fire, so we had to work hard to put that out. Your letters after all that were the best morale boost in the world! Every day my love for you grows. Everything about you pleases me.

July 18, 1969 – Dear Nate. We are breaking heat records here in Chicago – 98 degrees with humidity just about as high. I feel for you in heat like this. But I pray that the Lord will continue to be a refreshing energizer to you. He’s aware of every bit of your suffering, pain, or even just discomfort, and sympathizes, because He went through all of that Himself and more… all the way to death. I know He appreciates your positive attitude through it all. And I do, too!

“Love and faithfulness meet together; righteousness and peace kiss each other.” (Psalm 85:10)

Young Love (#64)

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Although we had “said it all” in letters to each other, Nate and I never tired of reading the “I love you’s” and “I can’t wait’s.” We wrote of our undying devotion to each other many times every day, doing our best to bridge the distance across 3 wide states that separated us.

It was satisfying to envision the life we would have together. Unfortunately, we had none of the actual details: a place to live, a way to support ourselves, the wherewithal to make these changes, or a timetable. Although we thought we were moving forward, none of the important things were being decided. And the days were ticking away.

looking-aheadJuly 17, 1969 – To my wonderful Fiancé. I love you afresh this morning as I awake to a new day of life, bursting with thoughts of a partnership with you, my favorite of all men. I have chosen you above all others. And somehow, by God’s grace and love, even before I was able to choose you, you chose me. I can’t even express my gratitude properly on this sheet of paper. I will be so grateful, day after day, year after year, for you loving me first… long enough and strong enough (with very little encouragement in the beginning), to allow me eventually to make up for the time lost, and love you in return. Oh boy! Do I ever love you!

July 17, 1969 – Dearest Meg. In our last phone call, when you said that if you had the power to change anything about me you wouldn’t, I was overwhelmed. That thought has stuck in my mind. It has stayed with me through all my hours of sleep and is the first thing I think of each morning. I’ve thought about it all through writing my letters to you and still retain it now. Thank you so much for saying it, and thank you forever for feeling it! I reciprocate all your love and would never change one thing about you, either. Oh how I love Meg!

July 17, 1969 – Dear Nate. How can I ever adequately thank you for what the mail brought to me today – 14 postcards, 3 letters, and a special delivery letter, all in one day! Today I was thinking back to our very first meeting in the Evanston “Huddle” restaurant with our college friends. I was so impressed with you that night, but who would ever have thought that we’d go from ice cream sundaes all the way to marriage! Just beautiful….

china-silver-crystalJuly 17, 1969 – Dearest Meg. Thank you for sharing with me all the details of the wedding planning. I like to envision you shopping for your gown, invitations, crystal, glass, and china. Let me know all the wonderful details. I respect your taste and choices a great deal. When you say you’ve bought some new clothes, my desire is to see you model them immediately. And when you say you’ve bought a peignoir, I about go crazy. You’re a beautiful woman, so sexy and desirable.

July 17, 1969 – Dear Nate. If you were in this room with me right now, would you ever get the loving! I feel physical affection only toward you! I got a hint at what our wedding gifts might be like last night. I was up at the folks’ house with Mary and Bervin. They had brought a trailer to remove all of their wedding gifts from the parents’ house in preparation for their move to the smaller house, and you should have seen the boxes! After dinner with the parents, we took all these gifts to a locker in a warehouse Bervin has downtown and stacked them up – a giant wall of boxes! It sure was fun to spend time with them. Our project took over 4 hours, but we messed around a lot of that time, too. You were greatly missed. Can’t wait for us to be a foursome — one that will last for many years!

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“Wait for your God always.” (Hosea 12:6)