First time you held my hand… The moment… forever ingrained in my heart.
The feeling… I will never forget… I can’t possibly forget…
I recall the powerful surge, the force of true and unconditional love shooting through my fingers… Landing in the center of my heart.
Your touch created emotions in my soul so deep… so tender… so real.
I remember…
Driving home from “youth camp”… The place our eyes first met.
I announced confidently… “One day I’m going to marry that boy!”
I remember the rebuttals… from fellow passengers… “No you won’t… He’s just your first love! It will pass. You’ll see!”
Over the next 6 years… God continued to join our hearts together.
Random meetings at youth events… Random phone calls… Random chance meetings…
Your face… your “first-love” boyisms… Left a tremendous impression on my heart.
That boy… I fell head over heals for… Never forgotten.
We fell in love… so young….
16… 17… too young for a future united together.
I recall many nights… Thinking of you… Missing you… Longing for your hand in mine… Missing your arms holding me… I’ll always remember the overwhelming sense of belonging I felt in your arms… Protection from a world that left me broken… hurt… and fearful.
Many a nights I sprayed your cologne on the teddy bear you gave me.
That teddy bear was loved… held… and comforted me many lonely nights.
Twenty year later….
The same teddy bear now sleeps with our little girl… Our fourth child.
Sweetheart… What we share… our love… is a gift from God himself.
Our love has changed the world…
Four beautiful children have blossomed from our hearts being joined together…
So young… so in love.
All those years…
God continued to join together our young hearts.
My dear… Today is our 14th Wedding Anniversary.
But it is also my 21st anniversary of first meeting the “love of my life”!
You are so much a part of me… The Bible says “One Flesh”.
That is how I would describe our love… our relationship… our marriage…
One flesh… United in love… United from God Above!
Happy 14th Anniversary Robert William Ridlon!
I love you!
Crystal
The Flame Within 
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