“Yeah, I can do that.”

I’ve agreed to many things in my life. I try to be as hospitable and accommodating as I can. But this time I did not have the faintest idea that my life would be changed in the best way imaginable.

After a church meeting on the most unsuspecting summer day, I agreed to go running with the woman who would later be my wife.

We knew from an early moment that this relationship is special—that was something we could feel from the earliest of moments. We initially ran together with the intention of preparing Camille for a Ragnar race later in the summer, but when her Ragnar race was completed we still found ourselves in each other’s company. On a humid, Baltimore summer evening we attended a baseball game at Camden yards, arguably our first date (though we can debate the times we ran and attending the Philadelphia Temple open house with family, but I digress). I shared with her my favorite parts of the game that I’ve loved since my childhood, and we enjoyed a barrage of home runs, a complete breakdown of Baltimore pitching, and postgame fireworks. No, seriously there were postgame fireworks.

There were also postgame fireworks.

The summer months dwindled, our relationship progressing as much as we could see each other. Camille previously planned to travel abroad with a friend for ten days, returned home for a weekend, and immediately left for her company’s orientation in Germany for another 10 days. Over a span of close to three weeks we communicated mostly via the texting app WhatsApp, and a few calls that allowed us keep in contact during our time apart. If we didn’t know before, these moments demonstrated how much we cared for each other, and how much we missed each other. It demonstrated our capacity to love each other.

Before continuing, we must acknowledge the hand of the Lord. We give pause to reflect and recognize the Lord’s influence as we progressed in our relationship, and events unfolded that afforded us opportunities to see each other. We have often discussed how apparent the Lord’s influence is in our relationship, and how grateful we are for everything coming together.

Due to Camille’s rotational program and the demands of my teaching schedule, we had limitations in how much time we could spend together. She worked in Philadelphia and I in northern Virginia, but because she was able to work remotely on occasion, Camille would often travel home Thursday evenings so we could spend the entire weekend together. However, Camille’s looming rotation from January to May abroad was discouraging. Yet, a serendipitous encounter with a colleague afforded Camille a chance to work in northern Virginia instead. Simply put, there were more obstacles and more miracles that enabled us to be together—miracles that confirmed our feelings of mutual comfort, respect, and belonging.

We’ve experienced more love and gratitude than I imagined possible during our courtship, and I’ve never been so grateful for meeting someone as I am with Camille.