Bobby and I were on our fourth date when God joined us.
Then he took my hand one morning over brunch and said he wanted to talk to me about something.
This is really great, right?
Jocelyn Runice
He spoke slowly, looking at me through those irresistible glasses.
All I could muster was aYes, defensiveness already creeping into my voice.
See, my now fiance’syes, this story has a happy endingJewish identity is very important to him.
Since I was a Christian, it was a valid concern.
Even so,I could only respond in one way.
I certainly wouldnt let faith get in the way of our blossomingrelationship.
With that out in the open, we continued falling in love.
Bobby took me to Passover dinners and brought home challah some Fridays for Shabbat.
I even took him to church with me on Easter.
For a while, it seemed like smooth sailing.
The pressure sprang from friends at first.
Once we moved in together, the questions started: “Do you guys talk about getting married?”
“Have you looked at rings?”
And then, “Are you going to convert?”
It was all innocent enough, but it planted a seed.
Bobby and I hadnt talked about my converting yet, but it was clear that friends certainly had.
Id watchedSex and the City’s Charlotte go through the process, but I didnt think that wasus.
Nearly two years after our first major conversation about his religion, Bobby and Igot engagedin December 2015.
As many brides can attest, once the ring is on, traditions develop a whole new meaning.
Bobby had mentioned that he wanted to raise his children Jewish, and that was always fine with me.
It hadn’t seemed too serious since we certainly werent having kids any time soon.
Its not just eggnog anymore, its a way to tell our children about my beloved Great Uncle Colin.
Here was my fiance, proud and welcoming with his.
We start conversion classes soon.
A change like this requires major sacrifices, nearly all of them from me.
Not surprisingly, our biggest debate is over Christmas.
Well see how December 2016 goes; Im pulling for Chrismukkah.
This April, I cooked an Easter dinner for our friends.
But it was the first time I’d skipped church instead of going to Easter services.
But its made us so much stronger.
If we can tackle this nebulous God-thing, we can talk through anything.
Weve both been candid and dont have to be afraid about saying the wrong thing about a sensitive subject.
We ask strange and probably offensive questions, and we dont judge.
The stakes feel higher, even though we’re still years away from having kids.
By then well be masters of negotiation, if were not simply sick of holidays altogether.
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