As a pastor, I counsel with people before I perform a wedding. One question I always ask is, "How did you meet?" I do not think it is unreasonable. Many I have counseled with feel differently. While there are many who met their spouse or significant other in school, many did not.

Here is my story. When I got out of Sam in 1970, Billy Pudifin and I went to Navy boot camp in Orlando. Unfortunately, I developed pneumonia and got "set back" 2 weeks and we did not graduate together. However, when I went into my new company, I quickly made friends (big shock). One of those was a guy from Ola, Arkansas. He was getting a "group letter" up to send to his ex-girlfriend. Her brother was a Marine and had spent 2 tours in Nam and she knew the importance of "pen pals" for those away from home. I put my 3 or 4 lines of BS and she and I began writing. When I went to San Diego, she and I kept writing. I missed a few weeks when transferred to San Francisco. Then she missed a few weeks because of sickness. Something was missing. We finally met face to face on Feb 13, 1971. I proposed to her that day. We got married July 30, 1971. We are still together (by the grace of God and her patience with me) and both enjoying growing older together.

How did you meet?

What a beautiful story. 

STEVEN SHEPHERD wrote:

Thanks. I feel that every day should be a new experience. Keeps thing

s exciting!

Awesome story Steven !!

Mine story is alot like yours.  I was also in the Navy right after Sam in 1976. I went to Orlando too, which is no longer there unfortunately. After boot , I was stationed in Yorktown, Va. after getting thru hospital corps school. I lived off base and across the street from a 7-11 where I met Pam. I would go to the store every night for a few things just to talk to her. She was going thru a divorce and ( along with the fact that she is 9 years older than I am) she just wouldn't go out with me. After 8 months out asking her out, she finally said yes. that was the summer of 1980. She married me on April 18, 1981 and has put up with me thru thick and thin ever since.

Hi Tommy, you are such a sweetheart. Tell Pam hello. 
 

Tommy Smith wrote:

Thanks for your input. As I said before, I have found a number of interesting stories over the years of counselling before performing a wedding. I always do 2-3 rounds of counselling and one of the first questions I ask is "How and where did you meet?" I feel that if they are not comfortable about that, they won't be comfortable about the rest. I also set guidelines for performing weddings, after all, I am not "Marryin' Sam". I had a seminary student ask who he was. Are we getting THAT old???

I know what you mean.  the navy chaplan who cousiled us first had us both fill out a survey about ourselves. then we shared it with each other. Afterwards, he told us that down the road, whenever we had a gripe about something the other one did or said, to go back and look at the surveys. 

Point being is the surveys showed who we were when we married, and to not try and change the other one to suit ourselves.   I thought he made a pretty good point .

We still had those surveys after almost 30 yrs.

 Tommy,

I would love to see a copy of those survey questions. I believe that too many get married for the wrong reasons and something like that helps to understand better. Mike Huckabee had a Covenant Marriage initiative here in Arkansas where the people agreed to go through counselling and work their problems out and promise not to divorce for at least 5 years (if my failing memory serves me right).

Have a great day!