Getting a Black Belt in Love

Question: I know that most of us have a great story about how we met our husbands. How did you meet your husband, David? -submitted by Rosalynd Kelly, August 27, 7:59 am

Answer: Ah, how I love this story! It includes more time, detail, and emotion than I can (or should!) share here, but this is the short version. Years ago, I was a single mom of two young children. I had always been a girly girl and I felt I needed to "toughen up" a bit to ensure I could protect myself and my family if needed. I had befriended a woman who was a black belt and an instructor in karate — this fascinated me immediately and I became one of her students! She invited me to attend a retreat to learn more and I thought, "Why not?"

I went to a dojo in nearby Provo, Utah. As I entered the studio, I saw a stream of instructors pouring out of a small office. Person after person after person walked out of this tiny office, and just when you thought the office was empty, another person strode out the door. It was a pretty impressive sight, as every single one of them wore a red beret and combat boots. I watched the procession wide-eyed, thinking "What in the world am I doing here? I don't belong in this world at all!" But I was rooted to my spot.

The last man came walking out of the office, red beret, boots and all. It was David. As he saw me standing there, he did a double take. I didn't have to — I couldn't take my eyes off of him. Neither of us spoke to each other at that encounter, but it was our first "connection" and it was pretty magical. The rest, as they say, is history!