Let me begin by saying what a wonderful gift of God to me is the woman who, within a month, will be my wife. Liz is the kindest, gentlest, most tender, loving and giving woman I've ever known. She is a beautiful woman on the outside and a beautiful person on the inside. I love her completely, with all that I am and have.

She consumes my thoughts. When I'm not talking to her, I'm thinking of her. I am easily distracted by the mere recollection of her face or a mere fleeting memory of the smell of her hair or the taste of her lips. And these remembrances occur even at the most inappropriate and inconvenient times. But I cherish them as I cherish her. She has brought delight into my world, and I never, ever, want to live another day without her.

But, sadly, I must. The sheer distance demands it. Four hundred and forty-four miles insist upon it. Four hundred and forty-four stones that constitute a barrier to the fullness of my joy. A four hundred and forty-four mile high wall that separates me from my heart's desire.

The last song of my soon-to-be-released CD speaks of my resignation to having no place on this earth to call "home." Well, I've finally found that home, thanks be to God, but for now I can't live there. And it is tearing me to pieces. It seems that all I can think of is my bride and how to find a way to live with her after our wedding - how to live at home. As it is, in my heart I live in Wisconsin, but I work in Michigan. My resting place is in Oshkosh, but my bed is in Detroit. To love and be loved is truly ecstatic. But to be apart from the one you love is agony.

So, dear friends, I beg your prayers. Please pray for us. Thank God that He has led us to one another, but also ask that He speed the day when we can be together, living under the same roof, that the love He has given may never again be required to reside in different states and separate time zones, and that He may grant us the patience and peace to wait for His resolution to this painful diaspora.

Elisabeth, I love you. And, God willing, I will be coming home soon.