Mama Missionary

Once upon a time (in the 1970s), there was a beautiful missionary named Nancy. She had given her life to Christ and vowed to go to Africa, even if God sent her the right man to marry. Now Nancy had been recently heartbroken and was dating three very nice men, but her heart belonged to God and she was ready to give her utmost to the Highest. So off she went Burundi, Africa, to teach the missionary children for one year. 

Of the three suitors in her life at the time, only one decided to stay in touch. He was a sweet-tempered, scientific man with only one eye. He lost the other in high school, but that's another story for another time. He wrote to Nancy every day while she was in Africa. 

In fact, he had asked her to marry him just before her departure, which she asked him not to do as she couldn't renege on her commitment to God. But Greg, for that was the man's name, was not easily discouraged. He persisted with such ardor that he even bought their first home and sent her pictures of it! (Mind you, Nancy still hadn't agreed to marry Greg yet.) On Valentine's Day, Greg managed to send Nancy a heart-shaped box of her favorite chocolates, which was no small feat considering that international mail was incredibly slow back then. 

Nancy always replied cordially and appreciatively to Greg's letters, but was still unsure if she should marry him. Upon returning home from Africa, she had asked Greg not to propose to her right away as the transition from one culture to the next and the jet lag was enough to manage for the time being. But Greg couldn't help himself and popped the question immediately, to which she sadly replied kindly wait. 

You see Nancy had been single for twenty-seven years, which was novel for the period as most women married by twenty. She was accustomed to taking care of herself and being independent. She wanted to marry and have a family, and yet she was incredibly nervous. Greg grew on Nancy. His vulnerability. His kindness and tenacity. His logical, scientific approach to everything were the perfect foil for her sanguine nature. 

After much prayer and careful deliberation, Nancy agreed to marry Greg! Their parents rejoiced, in fact, it was Greg's own mother who arranged the match. She taught with Nancy at the local high school and recommended the young lady to her only son. Greg asked for a picture of Nancy, and then decided to follow through with his mom's suggestion.  

Nancy's mother advised her oldest daughter to have children sooner than later, usually she advised her four girls to wait two years so that the couple would have time to know each other and form a lasting bond, but given Nancy's age, her mother felt it might be more prudent to grow a family straight away. And Nancy did. She had three lovely children with Greg, one boy and two girls. Together they make up the Grimes family and will be the focus of forthcoming blog posts. 

This is the story of "Mama Missionary" and the beginning of The Grimes' Fairy Tales.