I felt like I was single foreverrrrrr. Everybody in college had found their spouses and weddings were rolling out everywhere my first 6 years after high school. I had envisioned being married at 22, the week after graduating as a "pediatric cardiothoracic surgical nurse first assistant" from "Clemson". Ha!! God sent me from my Clemson journey to Greenville Tech. I finished in 3 years total of college becoming a Surgical Technologist with a job lined up before I ever graduated. Meanwhile, no boyfriend. I didn't want just a boyfriend. I wanted my husband. My husband. I longed and pined to serve this man that God created for me...just for me! I longed to cook him meals, give him a warm beautiful home, and have so much fun being silly goof balls together...whoever he was.
As I've told Eric in the past, before I ever met him, I would wake up most alert and startled in the middle of the night and I would feel so called by the Holy Spirit to pray for "my husband....whoever he was". I was not called by the Holy spirit to pray for him to come into my life...no, God woke and shook my soul violently awake to pray for a man who was mine yet I'd never met, to cover him in prayer and lift him up. I could feel that this man was in need of love, hard times were on him, challenges. I didn't know what on earth he could be going through...I couldn't even put a face to the man I was praying for, yet; rest assured, God told me "pray for him." And that I did in the dark of my room sitting up in my bed. Interestingly enough these moments were happening for me in 2012 and 2013. A time when Eric was going through possibly one of the hardest things a person can go through apart from losing a child...I don't think anything would be worse than that! But he was going through what at the time was the worst time of his life, not knowing what a blessing it would be for all involved later. I would pray him through and cover him in scripture and my heart would pine to meet this man I was praying for and that God promised me I would meet...eventually. And finally one Sunday morning service in the sanctuary.....oh wow...I get goose bumps and tears in my eyes remembering this....I saw this gorgeous beautiful man who was tall and had these perfectly placed dimples with almond golden brown eyes and these strong shoulders and arms and the Holy Spirit inside me burned and flared and spiked and God told me, "Him!" I practically swooned right there as I sang!
I DO NOT believe in love at first sight. To love someone is to know them...all their crap and darkness and uglies and to still see the best of them and desire them. But I do KNOW that when I laid eyes on Eric Gladden...God immediately revealed to me that he was my husband. And would you believe that from that very day forward of June 2, 2013....we have never been apart. He equally was pushed by the Holy Spirit and from the very day I laid eyes on him, we have talked and talked and never been apart again. Only....ONLY GOD does this....can do this....will answer prayers like this....plan something like this. I fully can grant the success of me finding my greatest love and the success it is to God Almighty!! Since the day I first saw Eric, he and I have been together. So so so awesome!!
In our 6 years of life we have grown so much. Eric has taught me how to do laundry....(was so so so patient and gentle and loving to me when I messed up lots of his shirts). He taught me to drive a truck, let me go through multiples of paint colors on the walls of his first house as I tried to make it feel like my home too. As I tried to figure out my tastes as my own person in her own big grown up house. Oh the hideousness of the colors I went through. He is so patient and chill. He always has encouraged me to do what I want, what makes me happy. Even if that meant painting his walls crazy colors. I have wrecked our cars, gotten major speeding tickets, and broken many things and all he does is hold me, kiss me, and gently help me. I do not fear my husband, I do not fear messing up or being an imperfect person. I don't hide things from him or feel the need to. When I do something stupid I go to him first for help and a fix and understanding. He is always there to take good care of me and never puts me down! I have literally never once in 6 years been made to feel bad about myself in any way. Only sweet things come from his lips to me....even if I am annoying he no worse than silent! Lol!! He is so so so calm and loving and doting! I would have wracked any other man's nerves up a wall long ago with my pillow fluffing, uptight, perfectionist personality. But he loves these things about me and he is the ying to my yang, the almond butter to my apple, the cheese to my fries! He has watched me grow and mature with my desires changing and my needs changing in my own life and growing all through my 20's. (Because he is so much older than me y'all know) Lol!! Well, he is! He was already 30 when I met him and I thought my dad was gonna kill me! He has supported me. Man has he supported me so immensely much! He has followed me to countless speeches I have given on heart health, recorded all of my news appearances, he goes and gets me food when I am hangry (my greatest love language.) He got me my puppy Blondie when he swore he would never get another dog. We have been to Africa together and loved on children and served people in the name of Jesus. He held me and my sweaty body when I felt deathly ill in Africa with some new germ to my body and was throwing up everywhere in a bathroom that was not as cozy as mine. He even missed going on the Nile River just so he could stay with me while I slept off the bug in my room under my mosquito net. His love for me in so close to that of God, only nobody can actually get that close, but Eric is as close as humanly possible. Patient and selfless. Loving and the heart of a servant. Humble and kind.
I love being his wife and his best friend. I feel loved, supported, cherished, desired, protected, provided for, top priority after God, and I feel by his actions how thankful he feels to have me. He makes me feel special when I feel like blah.
We have had many adventures. Over the past near 3 years, we have taken on the adventure of him going back to school, having a baby, selling his old house, building our dream home, having a beautiful healthy baby Ellie and trying to figure out how to survive all this chaos. Our first three years were full of crazy spontaneity and no responsibilities. Now we are as packed as can be and happier than ever, no matter how hard the juggling is. This is marriage. Working as teammates in the different phases life brings and remaining deeply in love and supportive of one another. We expect in 2 years time we will reach a new phase in our marriage when school is over, Eric is a Chemical engineer, and our almost 2 year old is a preschool wonder! We know time never slows down and we don't wish it away, but we are always wishing for our next fun trip or experience together and praising God for the time He has granted us together.
Eric Gladden is truly truly more than I prayed for. I prayed for perfect....only God could deliver more. I love you, Eric Gladden. I am so thankful God weaved our paths together as He had always planned from the start of creation. I love you darling!! Muah!
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