Shannon here: Ronda Wells shares insight into her real-life romance, plus a chance to win a copy of her Christmas in July/Historical Romance Novella, The Christmas Cherub along with fun book swag and a Christmas cookie cutter. Comment or answer the question in this post to enter. Deadline: Aug 2nd, 11:59 pm central time. Here’s Ronda:
When we first met, my now husband of forty-four years, was the very definition of shy. My parents used to joke he’d said about twenty words from when they first met him until our marriage vows. Which my preacher dad conducted, so that probably gets us up to about a hundred. Dave has come out of that quiet shell over the decades, as raising children does require one to communicate. He even preaches now.
At heart though, he’s a total romantic. My first day of medical school, I wandered into the big student lounge area to find and check my mailbox for the first time. The pigeonhole boxes formed one end of the lounge, and divided by year. Freshman on the left, seniors to the right. People were crowded by the freshman boxes, and I wondered what was going on.
As I strolled closer, I could see a single yellow rose stuck in one of the freshman mail slots. When I reached the wall, I realized the rose was inside MY box! I took it out and created a lot of hub bub and questions. The rose was attached to an invitation to a lunch picnic on the medical school lawn.
We’d had a couple of dates in college that went well, but then that summer Dave took his mom south to see relatives and when he returned, worked nights at a local hospital. I’d not heard from him for weeks, so the gesture of the rose, and our picnic, made up for that disappointment. It soon became clear we were soulmates.
He can still surprise me. For our twenty-fifth anniversary, he wanted to get me a better wedding ring. I got to choose the diamond and the setting, very different from my original inexpensive student-level wedding set. When we went back to try on the finished ring, the jeweler’s secretive smile indicated he was just dying to tell me something but couldn’t.
The jeweler proudly put the ring in the magnifying microscope to show me the ID numbers laser-engraved on the stone. To my shock, there was also a quote.
“A lifetime is not enough. Love, Dave.”
I lost it. My emotions, that is, not the ring! The jeweler grinned, as did our adult daughter who’d tagged along.
My advice? Never overlook a shy fellow. Give them time. Still waters run deep. They may turn out to be the most romantic male in the room. “Counsel in the heart of man is like deep water; but a man of understanding draws them out.” Prov. 20:5. (KJV)
I would change that to a WOMAN of understanding.
Question for Readers: Have you or a loved one ever been shy? Did anything bring you or them out of it?
About Ronda: Physician, award-winning author, lifelong Hoosier, and preacher’s kid, Dr. Ronda Wells is a wife, mom, and grandma who puts faith and family first. She writes “Heartfelt Stories from the Heartland” and is a Guideposts contributor. The Christmas Cherub, her debut inspirational novella, is a WW2 historical romance that focuses on love, faith, and patience. Ronda’s devotionals appear on Arise Daily and monthly on Crossmap’s “Daybreak Devotions and Nighttime Prayers.”
When she finds the time, her interests include genealogy and family history, scrapbooking, sewing, baking, and traveling cross-country with her husband of forty-four years in their small motorhome. Learn more & connect:
Ronda’s Website Ronda’s X Ronda’s Instagram
Ronda’s Goodreads Ronda’s Facebook Ronda’s Blog – Novel Malpractice
About the book – The Christmas Cherub:
Love lingers long after the war.
As snow blankets 1940s Chicago, Clara Goodwin buries her heartache in ribbon, glitter, and hope. The war is over, but her finance-Jack Thompson, a daring B-17 pilot-remains missing. Each day without word chips away at her spirit, but Clara clings to faith, pouring her longing into her work as the Head Artist at Amberson’s Department Store.
This year’s centerpiece? A handcrafted Christmas cherub to crown the iconic store clock. But as she sculpts its delicate features, Clara doesn’t just create a symbol of the season-she breathes into it her love, grief, and the questions that haunt her: Is Jack MIA, a POW … or lost forever? And if he returns, will he still be the man she loves?
In a season made for miracles, Clara’s creation might carry more than holiday cheer – it might just hold the answer to her deepest prayer.
Rich with nostalgia and brimming with heartfelt hope, The Christmas Cherub is a tender holiday novella for anyone who believes that love, like Christmas, always finds a way.
Can’t wait for the drawing? Worried you won’t win? Get your copy/copies now!
Come back July 25th for Shannon’s Book Bargains Roundup!
Aww. I loved the inscription on the ring! My husband of 43 years can still be shy around strangers, especially women. I like to say being married to me has helped him find his tongue. LOL.
I have been shy and I still am sometimes around strangers.
I am not really shy, I like to talk to people. I worked in retail for over 40 years and that helped a lot.
I used to be painfully shy. Until I went to cosmetology school. I soon realized it was much more uncomfortable cutting someone’s hair for 20 mins and not talking, than it was to make conversation. I came out of my shell.
I am shy around strangers. I have learned with time to push myself to be more outgoing, but it does drain me emotionally.
I have a winner! Doris Lankford won the drawing. I appreciate Ronda for being my guest and everyone else for stopping by 🙂