Sometime during the night when most people are deep in sleep I woke up with pains in my stomach that could only mean one thing…a trip to the porcelain throne. Eegads, yet another Valentines Day that I wished I could skip! I thought one time of tummy torture was enough but 3 trips later I realize that teaching was out of the question for that lovely day of love. I texted my admin at 5am and then raced a turtle to the staff room to make up lesson plans…the turtle won. There was yet another trip to my new best friend between copying and sitting to gather my strength.
I returned to my room to lie down and rest only to get right back up and release the rest of the yellow curry that was lingering in my stomach into the trash can. I hadn’t been that sick in a long time! I had called Barrett after sleeping for a few hours and then around 1pm I went to try and give myself fluids and head to the staff room to get work done. Pink, Red, and White was worn from every student I passed (reminding me of the pepto bismo I should have taken) and I putzed around in my old gray sweatpants, ragged red T-shirt, no makeup, sick-sweated hair pulled back in a careless, messy ponytail, and a colorless face. Man, I felt nasty! Yet I didn’t care.
I sat at a computer and commenced catching up on emails when a raucous arose from around the corner. My grade 9 class came in and one by one they gave me a rose and said, “Barrett loves you!” If that wasn’t enough they gave me conversation hearts, gum balls, a heart picture frame, a deflated balloon, a chocolate rose, card, and a Big Red Teddy Bear still exclaiming “Barrett loves you!” My face blushed with new found color and they all laughed and giggled and were so proud of the achievement! I was dumfounded! Never in my entire life have I ever received such acclamations!
The kids left and I sat with my new Bear on my lap and gleefully, yet shyly, told Tiffany (who was in the staff room with me) about how Barrett hid notes in specific items. It was unreal! I found out later that he had concocted this plan before even coming to Thailand and conspired with another GES teacher here to put it into place. Matt also had to do some quick finagling as I spoiled Barrett’s plan of a new item each teaching hour by being sick. I can’t tell you how amazing that day turned out to be for me!!
At my homeliest and ugliest, Barrett managed to make me feel like a queen! He put a smile on my weak/lazy face (literally, na gliat in Thai which also is the word for ugly) and showed love when I didn’t deserve it! I have learned so much about my God through my relationship with Barrett! I’ve learned about Grace and undeserved expressed love. The fact that Jesus showed His love willingly and sacrificially for me by dying on the cross when I was at my ugliest and worst has new found meaning. How God still loves me when my pride rears its head, when getting my logical way is more important than what the Bible says, and when my thankful spirit disappears, is modeled by how Barrett treats me when I do the same to him. Wow! Im so thankful to God for this man Im gonna marry! It was truly a love sick day!