And then there was one.

For many many years I searched for him. When he wants attention he sticks his finger up my nose or in my ear and then in my mouth and it is times like these why God allowed me to be teased mercilessly by junior high boys on the bus in middle school: it was to prepare me for my fabulous life with my lovely and bizarre husband. I pet his beard until it is fluffy and pokey and he flattens it back down and gives me a look of fake contempt. I listen to his heart beat against my ear and think about how this is the man that God promised me so many years ago when I would cry out for an earthly husband. That this man with whom I share a house and a bed and a life was formed for me from the foundations of the earth. He is the one that God promised me many years ago. One whom I spent thousands of dollars in self-help books and seminars and tapes and therapy for so I could be ready for him when he arrived. But i wasn't quite ready when he arrived and he had to be very patient as I tried very hard to push him away and convince him he could never love a girl like me.

He is my Samuel with Daniel like qualities, a Daniel because he is a handsome, wise and learned man who has a heart for justice and an aptitude for learning. One who is willing to stand up to the authorities and provide counsel and proclaim injustice. He is a Samuel because every year I would bring my sacrifices to the altar and weep like Hannah to give me a husband and eventually a child that I promised I would dedicate both to the Lord in a life of service and sacrifice.