Wednesday, September 13, 2006

A Red, Silk Thread

In Japanese myth, the god of marriage is known as Gekka-0. It is believed that he binds the feet of lovers together with a thread made of red silk. A tie that binds and can never be broken. No matter the distance, no matter the time that has passed.....

A few weeks into to college I was walking to the cafeteria with a friend. Halfway there, she ran into a guy she knew from one of her classes. He had another friend with him and I remember what struck me most about these two was that one did all the talking while the other kinda stood off to the side. Such a contrast that made me want to draw him out. Made me want to get to know him. Made me want to understand him.

Slowly, awkwardly a friendship developed. A lot of what we did together revolved around studying. I would help with his English and he would help with my math. Occasionally, we would go bowling or out to eat, but always in a group. It seemed to be easier for him that way and so I didn't push it.

One day, he surprised me by asking me to go to dinner with him, just the two of us. We talked and ate and talked and ate and talked some more. The more I learned about this guy, the more I wanted to learn. The more I learned, the more I liked him.

I knew that he would be leaving the States after graduation, but that didn't stop me from telling him how I felt. He felt that it wouldn't be fair to start something with so little time left and heartbroken I agreed.

The story could have ended there, but our lives were already connected by a thread made of silk. The red, silk thread of fate. The red, silk thread of destiny.

Four years later with a college degree in youth and human services, I headed to Japan to teach English. I knew how to reach him, I knew where he was, but something in me hesitated. In the time that had elapsed, so much could have changed.

For my own piece of mind I decided the least I could do was call. I called. One talk turned into weekly calls which turned into to nightly calls that I looked forward to more than anything. I went to visit him, he came to visit me and the feelings re-surfaced. I was head over heels, but a little gun shy having been turned down.

For some reason, it was important for me to hear him say what we were both feeling first. I had to wait for him to come to me, for him to be ready. Finally, the words I had been longing to hear were said. Finally, I could feel it all falling into place. The red, silk thread had been pulled and stretched and almost broken but it was still there.

We were married on April 28, 2002 in the United States and had a reception in Japan in July of the same year.

One day, not long after we had gotten married my FIL asked me why I had come to Japan. Without hesitating, I answered, "Because of a red, silk thread."


To read other stories of love or to add your own link, head on over to Barb's. Thanks to Overwhelmed for sharing the link.

12 comments:

Susie said...

Trisha,
Thanks for visiting me! I enjoyed every single word of this post!
What a wonderful love story...
I'll be back to visit again when I have a bit more time
:-)

Ms. Kathleen said...

That is so sweet and awesome. I love that "red silk thread". It reminds me of the scripture my sister had red at her wedding, "A strand of three cords shall not be broken". God is so good! Thank you for sharing such a romantic story.

Anonymous said...

awww I love that ... I think I will have to buy some red silk for my wedding anniversary. Beautiful love story.

Pamela said...

What a wonderful "love story", I love the red silk thread that tied you together and made so special! :)

someone else said...

I came here from Barb's site and I'm glad I did. That's such a sweet story. The red silk thread is a very romantic theory.

Kristen said...

What a beautiful story. I love it. I'm so glad the red, silk thread stayed strong! You guys are a beautiful family!

TJ said...

I loved your "love story" I've read several today...Barb has really started something...when I feel up to it I will write mine...your's though needs to be written in book form...it would be better than Memoriors of a Geisha I'm thinking!
:-D
PS...thanks so much for your sweet support during my recent hard times!
You are a great friend!
(((hugs)))

Barb said...

I just posted a comment and lost it so I hope they don't both show up. Oh well, it'll just be twice the comment, right?

I love this story. It's so romantic and I love the red silk ribbon running through it. This is my first visit to your blog. And I see there's a little one now, too. So I'd sure say this story had the perfect ending! Thank you so much for sharing this with us.

Overwhelmed! said...

Trisha, this is a most beautiful love story! I'm so happy that fate played an important role in bringing the two of you together. I don't supposed you'd consider emailing me a picture of you two, would you? I have no idea what you look like. My email is adoptive_mom_1@yahoo.com.

Thanks for your comment on my How I met my honey post. And thanks for linking my blog within your post. I do appreciate that!

Anonymous said...

That was jsut plain romantic! You went halfway around the world to be with him. Just beautiful!

Unknown said...

Wonderful story! It's funny, the Chinese have a similar story involving a red thread. Thank you for sharing!

L. said...

I really loved this story, about the two of you meeting. I met my husband in Kyoto in `85 and let me tell ya, that red thread is pretty powerful stuff!

Thanks for visiting my blog -- yes, of course you can blogroll me, and I will blogroll you, too.

All the best.