Fall into Love: Gail's story

Forever Kind of Love
A Fall into Love story by Gail Gaymer Martin

More than thirty years ago, at a church-hall dance for the widowed or divorced, I sat with friends waiting for the country dances to begin. A man stood near the beverage table, and curious, I walked there for a soda. As I passed him, I said hello, and we talked. He was alone, and it was his first time at a singles event. I invited him to sit at our table, and he did.

I liked him right away. He was funny and made me laugh. He loved family, especially his two kids, he was musically talented which is important to me and was a churchgoer—to my surprise, the same denomination as I am. I couldn’t believe my ears. He wanted to visit my church to hear me sing with the choir, but he could only come on Sundays that he didn’t have his children since he wanted them in their Sunday school. I was touched. Here was a man who didn’t try to impress a woman, but let her know his kids and their church was a priority. He got me at that moment.

He did visit my church where he also met my mom. He took me to breakfast afterward, and his personality and values made a huge impression. That day I knew I could marry this man. Later my mom said, “Don’t get me wrong, but you were like an old married couple. You’re comfortable together and seem to click.” Mom was right.

We’d met in September, and before Christmas, we were dating exclusively. I was head over heels, and he felt the same. When things looked serious, we wanted each other to meet our dearest friends, so I planned a Chinese dinner and did all the cooking, and we each invited a few of our closest friends.

Before dinner, my friend Bernice said she’d brought some fortune cookies, and I was delighted that she had. The other couple brought a bottle of champagne as a hostess gift.

After dinner, Bernice distributed the fortune cookies. When she finished, each person read the messages inside. When I opened mine, it said, “This house will be filled with happiness,” an appropriate message for me, surrounded by friends and the man I knew I wanted as my husband. When I broke off a corner of the cookie, Bob watched, and I sensed he wanted me to do something, but I was at a loss.

Instead, I continued to nibble the cookie. When it was nearly gone, I felt something suspicious in the corner. I said “yuck” and pulled out a piece of tissue fearing what was inside.

Bob leaned closer. “What is it?”

I shrugged and didn’t want to open it. But he encouraged me, seeming as curious as I was repulsed. When I pulled off the tissue paper, a beautiful solitaire diamond ring fell into my hand. “Someone lost their ring in this cookie.”

Everyone talked, but Bob shook his head and grinned. The truth struck me. “It’s a…an engagement ring.” Tears of joy rolled from my eyes. I had no idea and neither did anyone else except my friend with the cookies. I saw that I wasn’t the only one with tears. Everyone rushed to us with hugs and handshakes.

Bob hurried to get glasses and the bottle of champagne. With a loud thwack, the cork flew up and bounced off the ceiling, leaving a small dark indentation in the plaster. We laughed and then our best friends joined in a toast to our engagement.

A number of years later, Bob decided to paint the dining room. I looked up at the dark spot and hated to see it vanish, but the ceiling needed paint with all our new decorating.

Bob tackled the job, and days later I found the courage to look up at the ceiling. My heart danced. He had painted around the dent. When I let out a cry, he came in to see what had happened. I pointed to the ceiling. “You left the spot.”

He grinned, then drew me into his arms and kissed me. I fell in love all over again.

~*~
Author Bio:

Multi-award-winning novelist, Gail Gaymer Martin is the author of Christian contemporary romance, romantic suspense, and women’s fiction with 68 published novels and four million books sold. CBS local news listed Gail as one of the four best writers in the Detroit area.

Her books have received numerous awards, including the ACFW Carol Award, Romantic Times Reviewer Choice, Booksellers Best, National Readers Choice, Holt Medallion, Award of Excellence.

Gail is a founder of American Christian Fiction Writers, a member of Advanced Speakers and Writers, and Christian Authors Network. She is a keynote speaker at churches, civic and business organizations and presents workshops at conferences across the country.

Gail was a lifetime resident of Michigan until moving to Sedona, Arizona.

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Book Blurb for Autumn's Fresh Beginning:

In high school, Derek Randolph, a bungling, chunky sophomore and her best friend’s brother was the bane of Jessany Cosette’s senior year. 

When Meg convinces her to return to town for their high school’s centennial celebration, she agrees and finds herself staying in Derek’s home with Meg. But to her shock, Derek has become a handsome hunk with a killer smile and a newscaster on TV. 

Derek can’t believe the skinny string bean friend of Meg’s has become a gorgeous woman. Yet past memories remain for Jess and old friend’s won’t let it go. Even though she agrees to appear as Derek’s girlfriend to aid his possible promotion, can her growing feelings survive the past that she can’t forget?

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Connect with Gail:
Website ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Goodreads ~ LinkedIn

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True Love Stories: Long Distance Love

They say long distance love relationships don't work. 

Max and Claudia's true love story proves the critics wrong.

Read how this couple made it work...

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Long Distance Love
Max Elliot Anderson's true love story

Some couples talk about their long distance relationships, but we took the concept to a whole different level.

I met my girlfriend early in the summer that year while working in my father’s film production company. She came from Virginia to work at a nearby Christian conference grounds for the summer.

We actually met, for the first time, on a movie set. Claudia, and a number of other summer workers, had come to the studio to sit in a restaurant set as background extras.

As the season continued, Claudia and I were together as often as our work schedules permitted. It was not long before our love grew.

At the end of the summer, I drove her back home to Virginia so I could meet her family. In September of that year, my draft board sent me a “Greetings” letter, and I was inducted into the U.S. Army soon after. To complicate matters, this also happened to be right at the height of the Vietnam War. But after a few months on a post in Washington, I was reassigned to Germany.

It’s important to note that our relationship developed before the time of cell phones, computers, or any of the other communications methods young couples have available today. We had to rely on phone calls and letters. But, before I left for the army, I bought two small recorders. Ours were reel-to-reel tape machines. They enabled us to send recordings to each other, in the mail, which helped keep a more human connection between us.

Claudia and I had talked about getting married, but it didn’t make sense because there was always an uncertainty that I might be sent to a war zone.

My father’s film production work required him to travel the world. I knew he had a trip scheduled to Brazil for business. He also had a contact there who specialized in diamonds.

“I can get you a really nice one for a great price,” he told me. Before I was sent to Germany, I picked out a setting, but hadn’t seen the stone yet.

Off I went to Germany where my assignment landed me in an armored battalion. My first job was as the loader on a tank. The funny thing is, I’m a little over 6’ 4” tall. That meant, when I stood straight up, I could see out of the loader’s hatch when it was open.

Later my dad made the Brazilian trip and my new diamond was placed into the setting I had previously selected. I’d also asked Claudia’s father for permission to marry his daughter when I visited them a second time in Virginia.

“Yes,” he said, and promised to keep it a secret.

It turned out to be a good thing I’d had a typing class in high school. While in basic training, I took a typing test which showed how many words I could type per minute. As a result, my records indicated that a job I’d be qualified for was a company clerk. Not long after arriving in Germany, I heard that the clerk in my new unit would soon be returning to the states, so I put in for his job.

On a subsequent business trip, my parents later traveled to Europe and arranged to visit my base in Germany. There they were able to show me the finished engagement ring.

“It’s beautiful.” I said. The diamond sparkled in the early morning sun, and the setting looked perfect.

“What do we do next?” my mother asked.

“When you get back home,” I said, “mail it to Claudia. Be sure to include instruction not to open it until I call her, and I’ll tell her the same thing.”

About two weeks later, after I knew for sure the ring had arrived, I called and asked her to open the package while I was on the phone. I heard a scream as the phone dropped. She picked it up again but could hardly speak.

That’s when I asked, “Would you be my wife?”

The tears and excited screaming on the other end of the line told me she had accepted. We were engaged, over the phone, by long distance, with an ocean between us.

We decided I would return home on leave a few months later and we were married one year earlier than we had originally planned, allowing us to start our life together in Europe for the first year of our marriage. And because I had been promoted to the clerk’s position, I had a fairly normal office job for the rest of my time in Germany. We rented the off-base apartment, bought a very old Volkswagen Beetle, spent our first Christmas together, and traveled around Europe.

Looking back, we’re both amazed at the way God brought us together and how He has kept us together through forty-seven anniversaries since then.

~*~
Author bio: Max Elliot Anderson grew up as a struggling reader. After surveying the market, he sensed the need for action-adventures and mysteries for readers age 8-13, especially boys. 

Using his extensive experience in the production of dramatic motion pictures, videos, and television commercials, Mr. Anderson brings that same visual excitement and heart-pounding action to his stories. His books include different characters, setting, and plot as well as two series.

Ten middle grade books are published, sixteen more are under contract, with several additional manuscripts completed. Young readers have reported that reading one of his books is like actually being in an exciting movie.

Connect with Max: 

Books for Boys blog - http://booksandboys.blogspot.com 

Author website - http://www.maxbooks.9k.com/index_1.html

YouTube Channel - http://www.youtube.com/user/Maxbooks100?feature=watch