My Long Distance Relationship
- Kimberly Bowman
- Nov 6, 2017
- 4 min read
If you would have told me at the dawn of this year that 2017 had the potential for romance to enter my life, I would have called you crazy. Nuts. A lunatic. Fou fou. You get the point. Technically I still don't know if 2017 will produce a romance in my own life. But what I do know is that there is hope for us gals who have never even come close to being in a committed relationship outside of her mental fantasies and "crushes" on fictional characters. Apparently...someone saw something in me that I, through various insecurities, failed to fully see in myself. And this is a summary of our story so far.
If you didn't already know this crucial fact about me, I am Walker Texas Ranger's number one fan. And it's spin-off series Sons of Thunder stole my heart moreover. In July 2016 after one year of immersion in writing fan fiction (no shame), I decided to take my support for the show to a more professional level. I wanted to show my support in a way that truly paid tribute without all the garbage of a fan girl style reputation added to it. I wanted to fill the void where no one else had created an up to date source of information for the show. A go-to resource and haven for true Thunderites. (Yes, I made that up myself) I worked tirelessly for months to make the site the absolute best it could be. Soon after, I quickly added my social media platforms, and before long I created a decent following. It's still small. But I like it. It's home. And I can even brag that a few cast members follow the community, and I have talked personally on Facebook with several members of the cast.
Meanwhile, in the latter part of May of this year, I noticed a post in the main Walker fan group on Facebook where a fan had posted pictures of his visit to Texas several years ago. To think he decided to travel all the way from France just to see Dallas Fort Worth. His photos of his visit to the real-life bar where C.D. Bar and Grill had originally been staged immediately caught my eye. And so did he just a little bit. Knowing how beautiful his pics would look on my website, I didn't hesitate to send him a message to strictly ask permission to use a few of them on my site. Thankfully, he said it was okay. To this very day, I have no idea what triggered us to continue exchanging messages. One of us paid the other a compliment I think, and it all started from there.
To be honest, although I was completely impressed by this fellow from the start, I was still quite skeptical. There was even one day where I sent him a stern message to make sure he understood that I would not be taken for fool. But something between us clicked especially after realizing the one thing that is important to us both...our faith in Jesus. Although new to the faith by a few years, I came to discover how much courage he had having been raised in a Muslim background. And yes, Chuck Norris had a huge influence on him and his faith. His heart for God and the Bible quickly impressed me. And my heart went out to him when he told me just how hard it is to maintain his Christian faith where he lives.
After many conversations, we both could tell something beyond friendship could possibly be budding here. Neither of us ever has pushed the idea on the other. It's like it happened with little thought. We've had a few rocky conversations while getting to know each other. But what two people don't? All I can say is I've got the best friendship with a cowboy at heart from Paris who understands Walker Texas Ranger like I do, loves God, and has told me my faith and kindness is what he found attractive in me. And I look forward almost every day to exchanging Bible verses back and forth with him and learning more of French language and culture.
No, I don't know where this furthered friendship will lead. I'd be lying if I said I haven't had my daydreams of what that might look like down the road. But I choose to let God determine what he will of this. After all, that is how our paths crossed in the first place. I'd be crazy not to let God determine what the next chapter of my story will say.
Yes, I hear you. You think I'm crazy. You want to immediately warn me of the stranger danger when it comes to online friendships. And I completely agree with you. There are lots of creeps and deceivers out there. But there's also many genuine hearts out there also. And I have the confidence that I have been met with the latter. And you have to understand that I never saught this thing out. I didn't chase it. I wasn't looking for this. It simply happened during a time in my life where I had completely sworn away ever dating or getting married. I've made plenty of mistakes in my past when in came to chasing a guy that was never meant for me and I only had a crush on. To be honest I still am frightened...gun shy if you will. But I am willing to risk it. Why? Because just maybe God is orchestrating something special for me here. Something beyond average. Something I could have never dreamed up. Is this it? I don't know. But I won't let fear dictate my actions. For faith has brought me this far already.