Some of you know "the story" of my bumping into my Donald in a yahoo chat room. But for those who don't the short version is I was meeting up with my web developer in the fall of 1998 and we met in random chat rooms because he was in California and I was in Georgia. We chatted on the phone a lot, but long distance was expensive in those days. Well I was in a preplanned chat room waiting for Jack and randomly other people would pop in and out. On this day I was having a discussion about live recorded led zeppelin songs that turned to an argument of yes they did, no they didn't. And my Donald came to my defense in said "argument". And a relationship was born. This day was September 4, 1998. Irony would have it, that's the day Google was founded.
Donald was in Germany on an army base at work. We exchanged email addresses that day and a friendship bloomed. We emailed a few times a week for a little more than two years. Most of our communications over that two years was via email. But on Christmas I got a card and letter. Occasionally as he would travel to other parts of Europe I would get a post card too.
We really didn't have a lot in common, but nothing was off limits in our discussions. I should probably tell you that exactly 30 days into our communications he said I love you. Okay he typed it, not said it. But still. It took me a lot longer to go there.
In October of 2000 he was about to exit the Army and all flights returning to the states routed through Atlanta. And pre 9-11 you would just go anywhere in the airport so I drove to ATL and met him at his gate and we had lunch at the airport before he traveled on to California to his mom's. That Christmas came the sweetest letter I'd ever read.
In January of 2001 he moved to Georgia (actually into my parents house for a couple of months) then found an apartment, job, and bought a car. We started to date and got both engaged and married in 2002. That letter was the beginning of a tradition for Christmas morning for me. Every single year my husband has written me a love letter for Christmas. We've had fantastic years and we've had hard years. His letters always reflect our year, our adventures and his love for me and our family. It's my favorite gift each year. I treasure that gift above any other on Christmas.
Someday I plan to share them with my grandsons. I want them to know my feelings about each of Papa's letters and how much they meant to me so that maybe someday they will gift their wives the best gift ever too. My family has always been filled with love and my Donald just made that love grow more. He's the best husband, daddy and papa I could have ever imagined.
This year was no different, Christmas morning brought a beautiful letter from my Donald. It was a reflection of the year and suggestions for our next adventure. And while I got some lovely gifts for Christmas, as always the most precious is that my husband sits down with pen and paper and records his thoughts and love for me each year on Christmas eve and I wake up and get to read it. It doesn't cost a dime, but to me it's a priceless treasure. And I do hope that at some distant point in the future my descendants will read them and know what a great love story Grammy and Papa had.
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