anne_gilbert.jpg As a little girl, I fell desperately in love with Gilbert Blythe. If any of you is asking who Gilbert Blythe is, stop reading. You make me sad.
I, after all, was so like Anne. We were indeed kindred spirits. Secretly I wondered if I should have been born with red hair. Many was the time I wished for a slate to crack over a boy's head (and many was the boy who needed a slate-cracking badly!).
Reading was the perfect pasttime; I'd lose myself in the worlds crafted by talented writers. If only someone I knew had been the owner of a row boat... I undoubtedly would have transformed myself into the Lady of Shalot (today Tennyson remains to be one of my favorites). Anne inspired me to teach English (I'd tame those Pringle girls, sure enough), to write (if only my bosom friend would steal one of my pieces and send it to be published behind my back!), to set my standards high.

And Anne had her Gilbert. He was, naturally, handsome, but also smart (as smart as Anne... wonderful competition) and funny. Watching Gilbert grow, in the books and in the movies, how could any girl in her right mind not fall head over heels in love? I was no exception. When it came time to consider the boys around me, Gilbert was my standard. Prince Charming had his strong points, but such perfection was boring to me. Besides, I was no damsel in distress. I was a strong, competent young woman with a destiny of her own. What I wanted was a man who would keep me on my toes, self-assured and intriguing, strong... yes, I was looking for my Gil.

I found him.

One day, in church, my Gilbert strolled in. I remember him because he argued with me, a stranger, about God and faith. He wasn't afraid of me, he was attracted to my outgoing personality. He wanted me to question assumptions. I thought he was so handsome, wearing his red Stanford sweatshirt and blue jeans, his dark blond hair curling around his temples. And those big blue eyes!

Yes, that was the day I met Jonathan. Maybe it fate, maybe a coincidence, maybe an accident. But any way you slice it, the moment was perfect. Jon says he fell in love with me then, long before we even began to get to know one another. *sigh*

We've been married a year. Our vows are still fresh, and we plan to keep them that way, recalling our emotions and our commitment. Occasionally the slate idea still pops into my head. But Jonathan is the man I'd cross a war-torn country for; he's the one I'd write about; he's the one I'll stand beside for the rest of our lives.

He'll always be my Gil.