Before I begin telling the Story of Us, I want to go way back… back to me as an individual, single girl… because I know that my journey to becoming Mrs. Simpson started many many years before Reid was actually a part of my life. God started preparing my heart to become the wife of Reid Jeffrey Simpson when I was very young. I just didn't know it yet.
I think it all began when I was a little girl, watching my parents and paternal grandparents, both in loving, committed, faithful, and lasting marriages. My dad's parents, 'Nana and Papa' as they were affectionately called by all eight of their grandchildren, were married at twenty years old. They shared an incredible, unexplainable kind of love that I was blessed to witness throughout my childhood and adolescence. For 58 years they were inseparable, best friends, and so deeply in love. It wasn't until Nana's passing in November of 2006, that I had ever really seen them apart. I don't think it was a coincidence that Papa joined her in Heaven not even eight months after her death. They belonged side-by-side… it was clear to all who were fortunate enough to know them.
My wonderful parents, Jason and Penny, have also set an amazing example of all that a selfless, God-honoring marriage should be. Their love for one another is so evident in even the most mundane, day-to-day tasks. When asked for their advice in creating a marriage full of happiness and longevity, their response was simple: "Always put your spouse before yourself, and never make demands of the other person." They were also married at just twenty years old, and will be celebrating their 38 Year Anniversary on October 30th, 2014.
The presence of such healthy and genuinely joyous marriages in my life, began shaping my hopes, expectations, and standards for my future marriage, at a very young age. Every single day, I have seen that my parents not only love each other, but they also really like each other. They find happiness in spending time together and enjoy making memories as a couple- something that I feel has become a rarity over the years for many people, resulting in the comfort of being away from one's spouse for prolonged periods of time, ultimately ending in divorce. Divorce. That terrible "d" word. A thing now common to so many, is something I have been blessed enough never to fear, when it came to the relationships between my parents and grandparents. All along, God has been preparing me to want and to strive for that very same stability and consistency in my future marriage.
Now, to keep it very real, throughout my life I have also been surrounded by many separations and divorces. I am not naive to the fact that they can and do happen. A lot. I have felt the sting of witnessing dwindling love, and have seen both very harmful and very amicable separations. In no way have I ever been sheltered from the potential of divorce, and the wreckage it can leave in its wake. I have just been very blessed that most of the marriages I got to see on a frequent and very personal basis, were not only intact, but thriving.
When I was 13 years old and in the 8th grade, I really began thinking about the important, non-negotiable characteristics of my future husband- number one being his faith. I remember talking with my mom about how clear it was to both her and my dad that they were meant to be, right from the very start of their relationship. She told me that when she entered high school, she began praying that God would someday bring her the one, in His perfect timing. Sure enough, he answered her prayers by bringing my dad into her life just a couple years later. From seventeen on, they were inseparable. When I started high school, I decided to do the same. I began praying every night that God would bring the future love of my life, into my life, completely on His time and agenda. I casually dated a couple people before Reid came along, none of which I was supposed to be with forever. From the moment God opened my eyes and my heart to a future with Reid, everything was completely different than it had ever been with anyone else. The night we first met, my life was beautifully changed… although I didn't get to actually see that until a bit later.
Stay tuned for Part II of Our Love Story: The Night We First Met.
Stay tuned for Part II of Our Love Story: The Night We First Met.
Paul and MaryAnn Moore - my beloved
Nana & Papa
My beautiful cousin, Lindsay, posted this picture on Facebook last night in honor of what would have been Nana's 86th Birthday.
My incredible parents,
Jason and Penny Moore
