Mike & My First Date and the Outcome…

2-29pm

First, more about how I met Mike! First ‘date’. Mike asks a very interesting question

I guess it was a bit of an ‘iffy’ date – ‘iffy’ because it began at the youth meeting I was helping at and ended sitting talking in the darkness of the carpark at Gardens Centre. In those days, it wasn’t under cover and we sat looking out over Mill Street.  Amid the conversation, Mike asked a loaded question, “How do you think you would fit into a YMCA situation?” For those who are reading this for the first time, Mike was the resident manager at the ‘Y’ and it was a big commitment. Clearly, if he was going to get married, he would need someone who would ‘fit in.’ Ha! I saw immediately what he was getting at and responded, “I’m sure I will fit in just fine!”  There is another thing about this ‘date’. It absolutely did not end in us formally being ‘in a relationship’.  It was a landmark for me because of the importance of the question Mike asked. But we were still not ‘exclusive’. I just got to know Mike a bit better. In fact, I was at that moment probably more attached to him than he was to me.

Unbeknown to me, Mike had a couple of other ‘issues’ he was dealing with.  Her name was Carol! She didn’t live in Cape Town, but was coming  to visit him. Mike had not told me about her. She was very keen on him.  As far as I knew, Mike lived at the ‘Y’ and I had been told by others that there was no one in his life. A little while after our date, a two nursing friends and I were going to Betty’s Bay for the weekend.  I asked them if I should ask Mike to join us ‘for security.’ They said that would be fine. I plucked up the courage to phone him one evening quite close to the weekend, apologised for the late notice and went ahead and asked him to come with us. I really thought he would jump at the opportunity. To my surprise, he declined! He did say he really wished he could, but he had something else on and he wouldn’t be able to make it.  I was curious as anything about what he had on, but didn’t ask and left it at that.

We went away for the weekend to Betty’s Bay as planned. We had a lot of fun and I had the opportunity to take some long walks alone. It was on the Betty’s Bay beach that I specifically had a meaningful time of prayer for ‘my future husband, whoever he was, wherever he was.’ I didn’t know it would be Mike. I didn’t know who it would be. I prayed fervently for him, that the Lord would take care of him and keep him for me. Little did I know that that very same weekend, Mike was seeing Carol and at the end of it, he would know for sure, that she was not the girl for him.  A few days later, I visited one of my nursing friends who was sick in hospital. She attended Mike’s church, and knowing I knew him, she told me she had seen him on Sunday. “Oh,” I said, ‘how was he?” “He was quite subdued,” she replied, “he told me he had just broken up with is girlfriend!”  “WHAT?!!” I was shocked! “He doesn’t have a girlfriend!” I exclaimed. “Well that’s what he told me, ” my friend announced.  Talk about intrigue! Wow. This was bad. This was good. Bad that I didn’t know about the girlfriend. Good that he had broken up with her. Poor Carol!  It gave me lots to think about. I wondered what would happen next! And there I had been, on the beach praying for my future husband. Little did I know that God was orchestrating things at that very moment!

After I found out about Carol, I just wanted to speak to Mike and find out what was going on, but there wasn’t really much opportunity. I was working. He was working. The Saturday night meetings were over, but one thing was in the pipeline and that was A WEDDING! A dear nursing friend of mine was getting married and I had been invited. It was to be held in Durbanville and I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to ask Mike if he wanted to come with me. So, plucking up the courage again, I phoned him and asked him if he was available.

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Back to today….

More rain in Cape Town. Wow! We’ve had about 5 cold fronts blast over the Cape in 3 days! The dam levels are sure to have risen.

This morning, after the show, I zipped into town to see Granny. I managed to take her to the last part of the Anglican church service – just in time for communion. Then she had some tea and I took her into the garden – the sun was out, but we didn’t stay long. I kissed her goodbye and then back to CCFm for a meeting. Then to the Mall and now I’m home, under the blankets with the French Open on. There is a lamb shank in the slow cooker.

Yesterday, we were at the Aquarium in time to see the sharks being fed…shark coming in for food…

Lunchtime!

Divers and Sharks…Hello Mr. Turtle…

Then there were some remarkable sea creatures…like this … honeycomb moray eel. It looked as if it had been covered in fabric…

I’ve only noticed the little boy’s reflection in the window now! He wasn’t in the tank!

This is a Sailfin Tang…

And this is all the way from Japan…giant spider crab…ewwww

Genesis 1:21 So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living thing with which the water teems and that moves about in it, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good

God’s variety is never-ending. His creativity is spectacular. His detail is perfect. And most of these creatures we never see!

You too are unique!

God bless you.

In His Grip,

Helga xx 🙂