My encounter to James Shumate started on July 17th2004. I was contemplating first of all weather I should be placing myself on the Internet or not because I did not believe in it, but I took the chance and decided to go for it. I placed my ad on Yahoo .com and began right away sending out getting to know you notes to people that I thought were compatible to me. I maybe sent out 7 or 8 of them with the response from one saying that he did not feel any connection but wished me great luck.
Then I sent an e-mail to James Shumate on 7-17-2004 not only because I thought that he was compatible to me but I saw something that I did not see in the other men. I saw right through his shirt and saw this great big heart. I had seen on his profile that he was a very dedicated man, one who loved his wife through the thick and thins of life's struggles and he loved God.
He had responded right away and we had begun a communication that continued for several days with excitement growing inside each time I would receive another e-mail, he was so open and truthful from the beginning as I was throwing him big questions from the very beginning. As time went on I felt it was safe to meet this man in person so we decided to meet in Columbia at the State Park. When I first saw James I was immediately drawn to him and felt at ease to greet him with a hug, I felt that he was a little or no I will say a lot nervous as I could see it in his actions and hear it in his voice but I continued to press in and desired to get to know this man (I felt that desire inside for what reason I did not know at the time.) We had Ice cream together and then decided to walk and talk the main street and we ended up on a bench and sat and talked for some time. As the time ticked away we decided that we were both thirsty and decided that we go for a drink but in the process we ended up going for dinner. We talked and talked and talked till we could talk no more even though I felt that we still both wanted to know more, the time ended and we walked to our cars. James asked me if I would like to continue meeting with him and I said yes and we both said good bye and left for our own homes.
Our communicating continued on with several e-mail's flying back and forth through space as we both were so eager to get to know each other I am sure that we were driving the server crazy as these e-mail's would not stop for some driving reason. James asked me for another date and we ended up driving to San Francisco, it was there in the car as we were driving and getting deep into discussion that I could feel this love that was flowing from this man that I was being so drawn to him that I felt that I could share anything with him because he was of such dept, honesty, compassion, understanding, life, and sincerity. As we ended up at the Exploratorium and walked around inside as well as around the lake that was there we continued to share our lives more and more in depth as we still both wanted and were driven to really get to know each other. We shared so much that day and had such a wonderful time together that he really wanted me to meet his family so he took me to his abode first with a warning as to what I was to expect but he was so determined and excited and eager for me to meet his family that we ended up at his home in the dusk of day. But what really amazed me was his eagerness and compassion to please my every desire no matter what it was.
As our time continued on and the e-mail's kept a flying back and forth the more and more I was falling in Love with this wonderful man. For I did not want to say it to him because the word love has been such an abused word in my life that I was so afraid of what it would do to him as well as what it would do to me.
the story will be continues later