I drew this rough sketch in July 1997, approximately one month after I returned home from my two-year missionary service in Bordeaux, France. Like most returned missionaries, marriage was on my mind. But the task of selecting which girls to date, and which one to eventually court and marry, was daunting. I think this drawing is a reflection of my anxiety from that era.
What I did not know at the time, of course, is that less than two years later I would have met my future wife, and that choosing her above all the other girls of my acquaintance was actually a relatively straightforward and easy decision. At the risk of sounding overly sentimental, I just knew. Sometimes, I wish I could go back in time, pat myself on the back, and tell my younger self, "Keep going; it will all be OK!" But alas, not knowing the future is just part of life.