Image: lifehacker.com

As I sat listening to a lecture on I John, I found myself doodling. I know from others more experienced in this art form that it doesn’t necessarily mean your mind is wandering. It actually increases focus and recall. I usually doodle a flower or a geometric shape, since I’m not really good or creative. That day, it was a Christmas tree, although the appropriate holiday was long past.

I used to doodle my husband’s name.

I met Ken the summer of 1982 while we were serving in Papua New Guinea for 10 weeks. After a month or so of conversation, we got “twitterpated” (see Thumper from the Disney movie) and by the end of the summer we pretty much knew we were going to marry each other one day. We separated and didn’t see each other but 3 more times before our wedding the following summer!

So in between our visits, we called each other twice a week (one call was his and one call was mine), and we wrote each other every day. Every. Day. Letters, cards, postcards…we wrote.

And, I doodled his name. Ken. Kenneth. Kenny. KJH. Kenneth Haugh. Ken Haugh. And later….Anne Haugh.

I don’t find myself doodling his name anymore. I was feeling kind of bad about that, but then I thought, I really don’t want to go back to 34-35 years ago. Thirty-four years ago, while I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life with Ken, we didn’t really know each other. For all the good and the bad times that cover that time period, I’d much rather have the “Ken and Anne Haugh” that exists now than who we were three decades ago.

We’re much more patient and tolerant of each other. We forgive faster. We fight less. We think more alike, yet still differ on so many levels! That’s good, even when it’s hard! I am who I am because of Ken. All the good stuff! I’m more confident and I’ve embraced my God-given gifts because of his encouragement. There is no one I trust more with my heart and life than Kenneth James Haugh. And I would fight to the death for that man.

I am so grateful for your prayers over us for so many years. Because serving God is more than our jobs. Serving God requires a good family life and an ongoing relationship with God. We’re still working on both.