Pastor's Hot Date Challenge

During a recent sermon series (Marriage Soundtrack) our lead pastor challenged the husbands in attendance to plan and go on a creative date with their wives and submit the details (and proof) to the never been used before email address myhotdate@tpcc.org. The church staff would later vote and the winning couple would receive an evening on the town as a prize.

For Rob and I (nearly 10 years of marriage) this challenge lead to a conversation which detoured down memory lane and the adventures we shared the two years leading up to our marriage. We quickly came to the conclusion that we didn't really "date" in the traditional sense... we adventured, we traveled, we went places, we marked things off our want to do list and made a lot of memories.

We joked about the definition of "creative" and shared ideas back and forth both trying to ignore the "elephant in the room" my cancer and the limitations and changes it has brought to our life.

Creative has a different meaning in this season of our life.
No trips or adventures, nothing too exhausting, careful of crowds and germs, plans that can be easily altered and nothing too far in the future.
I figured that the reality would be... Nothing creative right now, but some day soon.

Then Friday came...
and my husband blessed me with our creative date.

It wasn't Pinterest inspired.
It didn't fit the textbook definition of creative (relating to or involving the imagination or original ideas)
It wasn't out of the ordinary.
It wasn't something new or never tried before.

It was perfect and it was US.

My husband blessed with an evening of comfort.
He washed and rubbed my feet- allowing me to experience something I enjoy (foot massages) but in an environment that was safe and without concern for germs and risk of infections.

He provided an appetizer (which I always ask for at a restaurant- too impatient to wait to for the entrees).

And indulged my desire for "photo" memories

He chose a menu and adjusted the recipe to fit my ever changing dietary restrictions- focusing on food that I have enjoyed in the past and desiring to provide a meal that tasted good to me.

He served me

I enjoyed restaurant style food without having to leave the comfort of our home or worry about crowds, germs, or having to changing my clothes

He even decorated the table (who would have known that having fake flowers as your wedding bouquet would be a continued decoration and joy in the years to come).

We ate, we talked, and we enjoyed the leisure of a quiet meal in a comfortable place.

And then we cleaned up together and I enjoyed the normalcy of being my husband's helpmate and sharing the load which was another gift.

Finally, the evening ended with another Just Us Thing... we climbed in the convertible (a dozen years ago it would have been a motorcycle) and ended our date on a sweet note...

He knew me, he blessed me, and he loves me.

I am grateful for this challenge and thankful to be married to a man who knows me, my needs and my wants and who chooses to serve me.