Memorial Box Monday-Creme Brulee

This time 4 years ago my life changed. I didn't know it at the time. It actually goes back to new year's eve 2005. I was "dating" someone, that wasn't going anywhere. For the sake of not being extra lonely on the holidays I "stuck it out". We were at a new year's eve party with his friends, and I felt completely alone. By God's grace, I met a couple there who attended the same church as me (Bethany Community Church), Heather and Alan. Heather and I talked easily for quite some time, and she invited me to their "small group", the same group we discovered that our mutual friend Dawn attended, who had also invited me more than once to come to her small group. Fine, it was a "sign". So within a week or two, I mustered up the courage to go to this already established group. It was a great group: warm, inviting, great hosts (Seth and Sarah), but it was still a group of people who already had their ways and their friendships established. After talking to the hosts, and pondering it myself, I decided to start a new group. I had a condo that I wanted to be used for hospitable purposes, so I had no excuse. Except I am not a gifted "leader". Anyway, by the end of March, I had talked to the coordinator of community groups at church, and she "hooked me up" with someone named Tim Tien who was also interested in starting a group, so maybe we could work together as co-leaders. :-) I was definitely impressed that a man would be interested in leading, as I didn't really know how to "lead" except by making desserts.

April 2, 2006 (I know this from reading thru Tim's old email) I met Tim at a "leader's meeting", and we started our small group April 6, 2006. (We met our dear friend Chrissie that night, and here she is our nanny!! different blog!) We (Tim and I) definitely felt an instant "comfort" around each other, and we communicated well. But I had no feelings of crush toward him at this point!

So between May 25 and July 5th, (our birthdays) several things happened that sparked our relationship into something more "interesting" than co-leaders of a church group. We believe that each one was God's provision, and His hand to move our hearts in a direction that we weren't planning on. Some of the events are miraculous, some are just sweet to tell. But looking back especially at emails, it was clearly out of our hands!!

I'll start in order. My birthday (May 25), was a Thursday that year, the night of our group. It was tradition to have dessert at our group, and a few weeks before someone mentioned creme brulee. I must have said "make me that for my birthday", and he did. Tim whipped up (literally, he beat those darn egg yolks by hand, BY HAND, in order for it to be a true labor of love, or at least so that he could get some sympathy!) some WONDERFUL creme brulee. The famous creme brulee. We all ooh'd and aaahhh'd. After group he sent me an email:
"I think i somehow neglected to officially wish you a happy birthday, so here it is. I don't care what the rest of the group says about you - you're special to me! :-) Anywho, I'm so glad I met you and got to start up this group together - we're quite the team, no?"

Looking back, I see it as a nice email, that I definitely read too much into. Maybe he was flirting a little, but at the time, I was sure he was declaring something that I was NOT ready for. I panicked as I ate the leftover creme brulee in the safety of my own condo. But as I tease Tim now: if I wouldn't have overanalyzed that email, I would not have been looking to stop a relationship that hadn't started yet, and thereby would have missed the opportunity to actually start a relationship!! So in our memory box, Tim found a little bowl of creme brulee (he had to paint the contents brown-that carmelized sugar on top. YUM).