Tendai & I first met when we were 15. I had just moved to Leeds and started attending the same church he did. After church I could not remember which bus number i needed to get home therefore asked Tendai if he knew. Tendai said he knew the bus number I needed as it also happened to be the bus that took him home. Years later I found out the bus did not even go anywhere near his house! In fact the bus route was the complete opposite direction of his house. He just got on it to spend time with me. This sums up the kind of person my future husband is. Always putting himself aside to help other's and always makes the time to spend time with me. Not long after i moved away from Leeds and Tendai ended up moving away from Leeds for uni. We completely lost touch of each other. In between life happened. I believe God separated us between this time to work on us individually so that when he joined us again, no one would be able to put asunder what he intended to be united. Years later we got in touch via social media and started speaking here and then. Tendai would often ask if he could come and cook for me and i would often say no, until one hungry day i eventually gave in and said yes. What God wants to be will always be! I wish i had said yes sooner as the food he cooked was amazing but grateful that i will get to eat the amazing food he cooks for the rest of my life.
As memory serves, I first met Tanaka when she had moved to leeds in the summer when we are around 15/16.
She was attending a service at the church I grew up going to. To this day I remember wanting to try and speak to her but not having a reason nor the guts to do so except when the opportunity presented it self when it was time to go home!
I remember as Tanaka was new to Leeds, she didn’t know which bus to get on, to go home and as she asked, I thanked my lucky stars and found an excuse to speak to her and proceeded to tell which to get. However in trying to spend more time with her, I got on the bus with her (which was the opposite direction to which I needed to go) so that I can speak to her, the embarrassing thing on my part was that due to being shy the whole bus journey I barely spoke! At the time I did not realise it why I had gone so shy but I knew that she was the most beautiful girl I had seen then and now so I asked her if I could text her to which thankfully she said yes.
Even at that young age I knew I liked Tanaka, but I never manned up and told her how I felt about her in fear of possible rejection so I never acted on those feelings.
However almost 5 years after drifting due to moving away for university, I can only thank God for presenting me with a second chance. I knew I always kept Tanaka in my heart as any other girl that entered my life I would subconsciously compare them to Tanaka in every way. My second chance presented itself as out of the blue Tanaka messaged me on social media suggesting I bring her some dessert she had seen me eating earlier and although I knew she was joking I took her up on her offer as I was not going to repeat the same mistake twice. To her surprise she couldn’t believe it when I actually showed up with waffle dessert in hand and hours went by as spoke and caught up on life I also knew there was no better time than to make my feeling clear to her and as they say the rest is history. What became of that is that I have been blessed to have a woman that loves each and everyday, that allows me to make mistakes and learn from them and continuously gives me confidence in everything I do. Knowing what I know now about the amazing soul that is Tanaka I can only thank God for her existence and having her in my life.
Dear Tendai,
If i had to put into words how i feel about you it would take multiple dissertations, so instead i will try and summarise!
If i had to describe you in three words it would be kind, thoughtful and hard working.
It is your kindness that brought us together...
When you we were 15 and i didn't know which bus to get home, you got one the wrong one just to make sure i got home safe despite it making the journey longer for you.
When we were 16 and you wanted us to hang out but i said i couldn't because i had left my room untidy at home and my mum would be angry when she came back from work, you offered to come and help me tidy it so i would be allowed out.
When we were 22 and i was having a terrible year, you offered to come and cook for me, despite having just done a long day at work and my house being a distance from your work.It is your thoughtfulness that keeps us together...
Sometimes you know what i need before i even know that i need it. its the simple things like popping a chocolate bar or fizzy drink in my lunch bag when you know i have a meeting at work so its going to be a long day.
Its putting sweet notes in places i don't expect, to make me smile on days i want to cry. Its looking after our daughter and entertaining her because you know i have a report to finish. Its putting air in my tyres even when i dont notice the difference. Its always coming through for your family and friends no matter what you may have going on. its staying behind at work to help someone else even if it delays your day. There is so many ways in which you are thoughtful that i could not list it all here.Its how hardworking you are thats going to keep us together...
If i had to write a book about you, the title of my book would be 'My Life with superman.'
You work so hard physically to provide for our family. I honestly dont know how you do it because you take no days off and do it with no complaints.
You work so hard emotionally to invest in our relationship and maintain it wether that be through self reflection, acts of service or making time in the little time you have sometimes, to spend time with me & with Olivia.
You work so hard spiritually, you continuously pray for our family, pray for our relationship and your relationships with others.These are just a few reasons why i cant wait to stand in front of all our family and friends soon, and say 'I do' to being your wife, Tendai George Shamuyarira.
Lots of love
Tanaka (soon to be ) Shamuyarira.oxox
For as long as I have known myself I have always been self assured in my decisions, whether right or wrong.
The one thing I will always commend you for is giving me the perspective to see things differently and how they will affect me and those around me, you have a selfless nature which encompass’s everything about you.
Being able to grow with you over so many years we have shown each other the good and the bad but yet here we are flourishing as we focus on the important things how to love each other, day in , day out.
I love how open you are to trying the new things I discover.
I love how you try to always cheer me up when Manchester United loses.
I love how you are patient.
I love how you always encourage me.
I love how you are caring, determined, an amazing mum, find reason for laughter, always try to find a solution.
The point is I love you.
I have hopes for our marriage as love keeps no record of wrongs, which is why we always make the choice to love each other each waking day. We have our values and beliefs that we share which are fundamental to our happiness, we should forever uphold those. You are my priority alongside our daughter so that gives me motivation to always keep going in all that we do, whether that is work, DIY, our goals - I look forward to achieving all the goals we set and enjoying our nest when the kids leave !
Jokes aside, there not many adjectives I could use to describe you that I don’t use in a daily basis due to how you are on a daily basis - my queen.
One of the most nerve wrecking days a man can have right…not me though(I wish)!
I had known Tanaka a long while before I plucked up the courage to ask her to be my girlfriend and one thing I have have always known is that she has always wanted the best for me so arriving to the decision to want to ask her to be my wife was one of the easiest ones I have ever made.
Marriage was something we had discussed previously as I wanted to indicate my intentions to Tanaka so I knew where we were headed as a couple. This is a woman, I have grown with, traveled with, built a home with, raised a daughter with and fall in love with all over again everyday, so as soon as I got permission from Tanaka’s family to ask for her hand in marriage, I set my plan in motion.
I saw Tanaka for the first time again after 5 years on September 20th so I wanted that to be the day I also proposed to her.
As Tanaka is from Newcastle, she has a story she likes to tell every couple of months - when she was young she wants shakes the Queens hand on the Tyne bridge. So I knew I that was the place which I had to propose somewhere that reminded her of her childhood.
I proceeded to book a restaurant at one of our favourite restaurants, a Brazilian steak house, but one thing about Tanaka is she knows me so well she can identify how I’m feeling. When I suggested that we take a stroll after our meal, she immediately knew something was up, I think she had her suspicions already as I had been acting quit secretive while planning it a few weeks beforehand.
As I led her onto the bridge, I slowed down a few steps behind her. This was REALLY necessary to allow me to gather myself.
I stopped her, to let her know how much she means to me, how I looked forward to growing old with her and for her to make me the luckiest man in the world because she really does make me feel like this everyday in all the small ways she like surprising me with little gifts when I would have just mentioned them in passing conversation. To my luck she did not say no, it was one of the quickest yes’ I have heard from her alongside asking her if she wants to go to ikea!
I can only thank God for blessing us with such a blessing and happiness and also to my future wife for saying yes.