TOO MANY TOADS TO TALLY | Previous Challenge Entry

how it works

TITLE: TOO MANY TOADS TO TALLY | Previous Challenge Entry
By Joy Faire Stewart
04/26/07
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Growing up, I was always a prissy kind of girl - nail polish, perfume, makeup - you get the picture. I believed the "Prince Charming on a white horse" stories read to me as a child. Little did I know there would be so many toads.

The first toad I encountered was in the third grade. Leroy's idea of romance was to sit beside me during lunch and eat out of my plate with his fingers. I tried very hard to overlook his least charming feature . . . dirty fingernails.

The following year brought Clyde-the-Toad. He would bully my little brother, which meant WAR! The "prissy girl" turned into a monster and landed a deadly accurate right cross to Clyde's hapless nose. Years later, I realized this toad was trying to get my attention.

In seventh grade, I experienced what can only be described as Toad-of-the-Year. Arnold and I had been going steady since the sixth grade. “Going steady” meant we had exchanged ID bracelets. We met at the movie theatre on Saturday afternoons to hold hands and watch Roy Rogers catch the bad guys and romance Dale. My “starry-eyed” romance with Arnold ended when he sent his best friend to retrieve his bracelet from me. More than likely, Arnold wanted to avoid the same fate Clyde experienced during the fourth grade . . . what a chicken toad!

During my teenage years, Daniel called our home . . . incessantly. When Mom informed him I wasn't home, he'd respond, "Tell her if she wants a date tomorrow night, call me." What a toad!

As the years passed, I encountered many more toads . . . some more memorable than others in terms of "toad-ish" behavior.

Then, when I least expected it, Prince Charming came riding into my life. Using the money from his first paycheck at his very first job, he purchased an expensive watch for me. A month later, he bought one for himself. I knew I had first place in the prince’s heart.

God has given us wonderful children and grandchildren that we cherish. We have mourned the loss of loved ones, including the passing of my beloved brother. There have been deep dark valleys that only the spirit of God could travel with us. There have been mountain peaks so high that if God had given us one more blessing we would have needed to save it for another day.

I often catch my Prince Charming watching as I brush my hair, fold clothes or read a book . . . he says he loves to look at me. When I look into his eyes, I see the other half of my heart.

Forty-five years later, we still have those special watches, and they still faithfully mark the sweetness of time as we continue our romance.

My Prince Charming has so many wonderful qualities that he didn't just ride in on one white horse . . . it was a herd!

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