My Adventures with God - Winning Sue

Chapter 5

Winning Sue
It was ANZAC day 1972. (ANZAC day is 25th April and a public holiday in Australia) The senior youth fellowship was holding a picnic in the Blue Mountains. It was beautiful weather. There was a whole group of us, some were couples, some just part of the group.

Sue was there with John who was her boyfriend at that stage. As I recall I had again been doing a lot of talking to God about Sue. I think I had got to the stage of telling him that I was at the stage of giving up on her and trying to find a girlfriend elsewhere. All the previous year Sue and I had met in the second last carriage of the 7.30 train from Turramurra (I got on at Pymble, the next stop down the line) to go to university classes. We had always found things to talk about. We had met up for coffee once or twice during the day, and happily passed time together. I had been seeing much more of Sue than her boyfriend did! But he was still the boyfriend … I was just a university friend ... Now even that was gone because I had finished uni and was working so I only saw her at church – and then she was with John. So you can understand why I was complaining to God that I did not wish to continue like this.

So this particular picnic proceeded and we all sat in a big circle joking and generally enjoying being out together. “Lollygobble Bliss Bombs” were the latest confectionery craze. I can’t remember what they were even like, just that we were passing round packets and at one stage and that Sue who was looking particularly gorgeous was reading out the blurb on the packet to much communal laughter.

I was there on my own and driving my new car, a Toyota Corolla. As everyone was packing up Sue and John had some tiff and Sue asked if anyone could give her a lift home. I offered. When we pulled up outside her home I didn’t think about it – I wouldn’t have done it if I had stopped to think – I just leant over and kissed her. After that we were “going out”.

This time I was a bit smarter. I just worked out really nice places to take her and things to do! I suppose one would say it was a proper courtship. When I say “just” it actually took a bit of doing. That sort of planning did not come naturally or easily. I would spend the early part of the week thinking up somewhere to go and then 'phone up on Thursday night to formally ask her out.

In time Saturday night dates expanded to me picking Sue up from work early Saturday and Sunday afternoon. (at that time as well as studying medicine full time – and that is a very time consuming course – Sue was working eight hour shifts Saturday and Sunday as a nursing assistant, spending Saturday afternoon and evening with me, Sunday evening at church and the after church youth gathering, and then we would sit in the car outside her place until quite late. Sue slept through a few Monday morning lectures!

A year later we were engaged and November 1973 we were married. We have just celebrated our 40^th wedding anniversary, have four delightful children and really thank God for our wonderful marriage.