Head Spin

Oh Google.  You've done it again with your Valentine's doodle.  And really, this must be the greatest day, for it has brought forth such marvels.  Like my wife Bonnie, who is so marvelous it will make your head spin.

When I was a graduate student at LSU, I caught a Japanese name on my roster.  And it wasn't a first name, but a Japanese middle name.  So I thought, aha, someone with ancestry of  心 and 修.  And I saw that with a first name like Bonnie and a last name like Bourg (I was pronouncing it to myself like the Star Trek pseudo-race), I was at once fascinated.

Then I saw this Bonnie in my class.  And it wasn't exactly the Bonnie of today, but a thinner younger version with a styled zebra hairdo and a navy styled purse/booksack.  And when she spoke, out came this speech which hid no morsel of the Japanese language at all.  I continued to be intrigued.

And then, of course, Bonnie was the best student, and she brought me a gift of grapefruit, and we talked after class and at tutorials sometimes.  For those of you who know the story, you know that although there were sparks of intrigue and fascination, no romance lit up in those days.  Another turn around the sun was to pass before our time was to come.

And come it did.  Because one day I decided I needed to meet more people like me--a green boy in a red state.  So I found out about a local meeting of Greenies.  And I went.  And I met another Bourg.  Who could not be related to the other Bourg I knew--but of course, she was.  And it gave me a great chance to look up Bonnie, email her, and invite her to what else but a meeting of politically concerned citizens.

From there it was a hop, skip, and a jump into dating.  And from there it was a stone's throw into talking about marriage, since Bonnie fit the stringent criteria one should have for a mate.  And then there was a trip together to and around Idaho, over the meadow and through the woods.

When we returned to Louisiana, it looked like the end for us, however, as we grew bickery and bothered and decided to split ways.  However, in a twist of fate not unlike God sending manna for the early Hebrews, our relationship was salvaged when we found out a new life was formed.

And salvaged it was!  Because we got married right away, and what a wonderful marriage it has been.  At least for me.  Poor Bonnie, on the other hand has endured the junk parts that God welded her to.  But she does so with such grace.  And the wonderful children we have borne has increased our blessings in an incredible way.  Thank you Bonnie!  Happy Birthday and Happy Valentine's Day!