A true, romantic story:

Once upon a time there was a girl who had three friends. The four of them went everywhere and did everything together. They were the best of friends and the closest of confidants. None of them had a boyfriend, but it wasn’t for lack of trying.

In fact, one evening the four of them went to the local V.F.W. Hall for a night of dancing. The girl who had the three friends figured that she’d spend the evening as a wallflower while the others danced the night away.

There they sat listening to music waiting for someone to ask them to dance. Before long a nice looking gentleman wandered his way toward the four girls. They sat up straight in their chairs, each of them hoping against hope to be the first to find her way to the dance floor.

The gentleman passed one, then two, then three of the girls. He made a bee line directly toward the would-be wallflower. They danced a few dances and had a wonderful time while the other three simply sat. The girl eventually went back to her friends and discovered that they were not at all having a good time. They wanted to leave.

It was a pencil that made the difference of a lifetime. You see, the girl never carried a pencil in her purse. But on this night, for some reason, she had one. She excused herself to go to the bathroom, ripped off a piece of toilet paper, used the pencil to jot down her phone number, and handed it to her dance partner.

“Call me,” she said. And the next day he did.

That same day her friends called and asked her to go bowling. When she told them she couldn’t they wondered why. She told them she had a date with the dancer from the V.F.W. Hall.

It was the start of a relationship that led to a marriage of more than fifty years. In terms of possessions they never had much, but they were always content. He worked hard outside of the home. She worked hard inside the home. They had two children. Those children gave them grandchildren.

Many years later he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease. She stood by him and nursed him for more than twelve years. It was truly “in sickness and in health” until death did them part.

The wallflower still misses her man. She still loves him. She remembers with great fondness all the good times spent together, his easy-going personality, and his unconditional love for her.

But since the center of their marriage was Christ, they will one day see each other again.

Thankfully she had a pencil in her purse.

What item, object, or person brought about a significant change in your life?