Faith Bauman English 103 Dr.

Sunyoger 11/11/13 Stronger Than Steel The crisp cool air whisked the golden, red, and orange leaves across my tiny town. The trees had shed their leaves to wait for the spring, when they could come back to life. On this autumn Saturday, my mom told me the story of how she fell in love with my dad. It occurred while we were driving to the grocery store. Just she and I were in the car. I was ecstatic that I finally was able to spend some one-on-one time with her. It did not happen often, because I have three younger siblings who are always fighting for attention. While we were a few minutes away from the store, I gathered up the courage to ask if she could tell me the story of how she met and fell in love with my dad. She replied Sure! with a small grin followed by a chuckle. My parents have an incredible story. It seems as if it could come straight out of a romance novel. Through my life I have heard bits and pieces of it, but am ashamed to say it took me eighteen years to be brave enough to ask my mom if she could recount the whole tale. Their story began in the winter of 1988. At the time, my parents were students at Whitewater University in Wisconsin. The moment my dad first saw my mom he wanted to get to know her. He was oblivious of the fact that she was already in a relationship. Mohammad, my moms boyfriend, grew up in Saudi Arabia and was Muslim. My mom grew up in Wisconsin and was Catholic. It was difficult for her to be in a relationship with

someone who had vastly different views. Despite their many variances, my mom lost herself to love. She truly believed that Mohammad was the one she would spend the rest of her life with. Although she was able to overlook most of their differences, she could not look past Mohammads Muslim faith. She repeatedly tried to guide him towards Christianity. Unfortunately, my moms attempts at converting him accomplished what she never expected. As Mohammad saw how strong of a Christian my mom was, he was inspired to grow stronger in his Muslim faith. My parents paths first crossed while my mom was still in a relationship with Mohammad. It was a brutally cold winter night. Ice coated the roads and windows; and mountains of snow covered the ground. My mom stood outside her dorm shivering as she waited for a hefty old van to arrive that would pick her up. She had planned an outing with her friends to a Shakespeare play near their campus. By the time the van rumbled to a stop near her dorm, she was so cold she could hardly feel her fingers. She quickly hopped into the backseat and tried to warm up. As the van pulled out of the parking lot, my mom noticed that the driver was my dad. She was not aware that he was coming to their outing. Her friends had been suggesting that she should meet him, but she had not had the chance or desire to yet. After the play, my dad purposely dropped everyone from the group off before my mom. He wanted a little time to get to know her without the large crowd around. As they talked about Christianity and their plans after college, they bonded like paper to glue. My dad had not met someone as strong in their faith at their university before that night. Once my mom crept Mohammad into their conversation, the situation began to get awkward. Before that evening, my dad did not know that my mom had a boyfriend. He would never say this to her face, but he secretly hoped that my mom and Mohammad would break up. He wanted to become more than

her friend. The strong connection he felt to her that night will be engraved into his memories forever. A few weeks later, my dads wish for a break up was granted. Although it certainly did not occur in the way he hoped it would. Mohammad had always been honest with my mom. He told her that, after he finished his schooling, he would be moving back to Saudi Arabia to work at a family business. He also confessed that his parents had arranged for him to be married to someone he barely knew. It was clear that he wished things could be different, but he felt he had no choice in the matter. Despite what Mohammad told my mom, she had a sliver of hope that they could find a way to make their relationship last forever. Just before the university students spring semester began, my moms heart was painfully wounded. Mohammad finished his schooling a semester early, and was ready to move back to Saudi Arabia. He spent one last day with her to say his goodbyes and tell her that he loved her; then he traveled back home. My mom did not get over Mohammad easily. She felt as if her heart had been ripped into shreds. A great deal of her time was spent grieving alone. She could not even bear sharing her feelings to her closest friends. Eating hurt. Breathing hurt. Everything hurt. To cope, she began to pray incessantly for God to bandage her wounds. In time, God gave her peace and brought a Christian man into her life who was able to heal her heart. My dad tried to forget about my mom when he learned that she had a boyfriend, but she seemed to have a permanent home in his head. Word quickly got around that my mom was single again after Mohammad left. My dad wanted to leap out of pure glee and give her a call the moment he heard the news, but he gave her a little time to cope before he decided to ask her on a date. He knew how much Mohammad meant to her. After about a month, his conscience nudged him to give her a call. His hands trembled as he nervously dialed her number. Is it still

too early for me to ask about a date? Does she even like me? What if she says no! Doubts persistently pounded through his head. Hello. My mom answered. Hi. Umthis is Bobby. I know you dont know me that well, but I called to ask if you would like to go to a movie with me this Saturday at seven? A documentary just came out about U2s summer concert tour and I remembered that you were a big fan of the band. She politely replied Id love to. She had not been off campus for a while and was looking forward to some much needed time away. She was finally feeling ready to socialize again. Saturday quickly arrived. My dads rusty old van pulled into the parking lot near my moms dorm exactly at seven. He waited for her there. As the minutes dragged on, he became more worried that she was not going to come. At ten past seven my mom walked out of her dorm and headed towards my dads van. As soon as he saw her he jumped out of his seat to open the passenger door as she stepped into his van. She was surprised by the polite gesture. The date ran seamlessly. After the movie, my dad took my mom out for ice cream at a local diner. Time seemed to sprint as they ate, talked, and laughed until the diner had to close. Numerous dates followed their first, and they eventually became a couple. Their dates were never expensive, because they were both broke college students, but they always managed to have a blast together. Their favorite dates consisted of my mom bringing a pizza back to her dorm for them to share. She worked at an Italian restaurant and had great discounts. My mom was so thankful that God had placed a man who had the same values into her life. Together they started a bible study at their university, and tried to encourage as many of their friends as they could to attend church with them. They were never afraid to put their faith on display. As much as my mom thought she loved Mohammad, it was nothing compared to what she felt for my dad. He was able to patch her broken heart and became the best friend she ever

had. Every one of their dates felt as wonderful as their first, whether they went out for dinner or just sat and talked on campus. Each moment they were together, my mom felt strained to keep her heart from springing out of her chest. It did not belong to her anymore. She had given it to my dad. My mom never imagined that she would be thinking about marriage so quickly after Mohammad left, but she was certain that my dad was a part of Gods plan for her life. Just before spring break, my moms good friend revealed that my dad was planning on proposing during their break. When my dad learned that my mom had uncovered his secret, he held back his proposal. He wanted this moment to utterly shock her. On a random April day, my dad felt it was the perfect time to propose. In his sweatshirt pocket he held my moms engagement ring as they had their weekly bible study together. He was filled with so much joy, he felt he would burst like a soda bottle that has been shaken and opened. My dad tried to contain his excitement, because he did not want to expose his secret. Could you turn to Genesis 2:24 and read it aloud? he asked. My mom was rather confused to turn back so far from where they left off, but agreed. She flipped through her tattered bible and began to read the verse aloud. For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh. After she finished reading, she looked up from her bible to see my dad kneeling with a stunning ring that seemed to cast a glittering light through the whole room. Will you marry me? he asked with a twinkle in his eye and a smile that spread from ear to ear. My mom began to cry out of immense bliss and delightedly accepted his request. The story of my parents meeting and falling in love, is filled with wonderful memories that I hope will be passed down for generations. As of today, my parents have been married for

twenty three years. Their marriage has had its rocky moments, but they would never think of breaking their commitment to each other. They have often said that the key to a successful marriage is to keep it entirely centered in Christ. They both agree that placing God first and each other second allows their marriage to have a bond stronger than steel. With Gods guiding hand near them both, they are certain their marriage will last a lifetime.

Dear Dr. Sunyoger: My narrative essay is a vast improvement over my previous essays. I concentrated on delving deeper into The Longman Reader to improve my writing. I also put more effort into reading my class notes to get a better understanding of poetic devices. As I began my essay, I asked myself a question: What key points do my readers need in my narrative to understand and experience my story? It was incredibly helpful to keep this question in mind through my entire writing process. I wanted my writing to place readers into the setting, allow them to experience my characters emotions, and put them into my characters heads so they could understand their thoughts. By describing the setting, emotions of my characters, and thoughts of my characters, I felt that readers could get a thorough understanding of my story and experience it as if they were there. For this essay, I wrote with subjective description and connotative language. I wanted to, as The Longman Reader states, convey a highly personal view of my subject and seek to elicit a strong emotional response from my readers. I hoped to make the emotions of my characters the strongest element of my essay. While I strived to be descriptive in this essay, I also took advice from The Longman Reader on page 130 to develop only those details that advance the narrative point. It is important to be selective in the details you wish to describe. The Longman Reader states: As you write, keep asking yourself, Is this detail or character or snippet of conversation essential? Does my audience need this detail to understand the conflict in the situation? Does this detail advance or intensify the narrative action? I tried to incorporate as many poetic devices, such as metaphors, similes, and alliteration, into my narrative as I could to enhance my writing. As it was said in class: Good writing sings with poetic devices! I am still developing my skill in creating unique and meaningful poetic devices. I also tried to experiment with flashback and flash-forward within my narrative. The Longman Reader says: These techniques shift the story onto several planes and keep it from becoming a step-by-step predictable account. I tried to limit the use of flashback and flashforward, because using it often may leave readers confused. My narrative essay is a huge improvement over my previous essays. Through identifying the key points needed for readers to understand and experience my narrative, I was able to convey the events in a way that makes readers feel as if they are a part of the story. I hoped to make the emotions of my characters the strongest element of my essay, and accomplished with subjective description and connotative language.

I strived to be descriptive throughout my narrative, but remained selective in the details I described. Poetic devices were incorporated throughout my essay as often as I could add them, but I could still improve in developing unique and meaningful devices.

Sincerely,

Faith Bauman