I met Lewis 17 years ago. He is the love of my life.
I was a single girl with three children and they were my pride and joy. When we first started talking, I wouldn't let him come to my house because I didn't want him to feel sorry for me since I had three children. Instead, we would talk on the phone and sometimes it would be two to three hours a night, which went on for eight months until he asked to go out to dinner and bring the children along. I said I would have to think about it, so two days later he called back and asked if I had accepted the dinner date. I told him no. I really wasn't ready for him to meet the children, which he understood.
Lewis then asked me to go out to dinner alone. It had to be a weekend when the children would be with their daddy, and he agreed to it.
For the dinner, I planned that we would meet somewhere because I didn't want anybody to know about us, being a single mother. We ended up meeting in Wilburton, and I rode with him to Bloomsburg.
He swept me off my feet, and I knew it because when we looked into each other's eyes, his look just melted me from top to bottom.
I didn't want the night to end as we continued to talk and talk. He was such a gentleman, respecting me as a lady and winning my heart.
Later I also told him that I was worried about the children, which he said he would take his time and do whatever I said.
He met my first daughter one day when I was baby-sitting in Shamokin and bought her a can of Tootsie Rolls, winning her heart because, until this day, we still talk about it and laugh at how protective I was about everything.
After this we talked for another two-week period before he asked me again about taking the children to Friendlys for lunch one day. We agreed to take separate cars and on the way I was scared because I didn't know what to think. The three children and I were a big package deal, and if he wanted to be with me, this is what it was going to be. Upon arriving at the restaurant, Lewis helped the children and me into the restaurant, hanging up our coats, then sat down to talk for hours with us. The children were so happy, plus I was excited everything went well.
After that day we were together, and he courted me for two years. One year later he asked me to marry him. We went out to dinner one night and he popped the question. He got down on his knees and took my hand and said, "Mary, I would love to have you as my wife, and be a stepfather to your three wonderful children. You and your children mean the world to me. You have all brought so much joy into my life. I want to spend the rest of my life with all of you."
I was so happy that I said yes.
I told Lewis that we had to share this with the children so we sat down with them at the dinner table. He started telling them how much he loved their mother and wanted to marry her, which made them jump for joy and my oldest daughter even asked if they could all be in the wedding.
Since I wanted a Valentine's Day wedding, we went to the church see if we could get the date, but it was already taken and the closest we could get was Feb. 11, 1994.
Although we couldn't get married on the day that I wanted, I told Lewis it was all right. As long as we were together, any day would do.
So the planning began and my oldest daughter was to be the maid of honor, my youngest daughter the flower girl and my son an usher.
When the wedding day finally came, the blizzard of 1994 also came with it. That morning when it was really bad out, I told Lewis I wanted to cancel the wedding because I didn't think anyone would show up. He assured me to leave everything up to him, that he would handle it all.
He had his brother take his family and me to the church. Once we were there and I looked down the hallway, the church was packed. Our whole family had made it.
It was a snowball wedding.
After 17 years, Feb. 11, 2011, he still is my friend, lover and the man of my dreams, and our love is stronger each day that goes by.
I will love him forever because true love lasts forever.
Mary and Lewis Snyder
Mount Carmel