Have fun storming the castle

I should have listed “The Princess Bride,” among movies I could watch over and over again. I was a fan of the book before anyone ever thought of making the movie. When I met Sandra I knew we would be friends because I saw a copy of the book “The Princess Bride” on her bookshelf.
Long story short, Sandra and I have supported each other through the struggles of being single, and the struggles of married life. We cried on each other’s shoulders as we lost dreams to miscarriages. We rejoiced together as each child was born into our families.
I’m sure we would have been friends without the common link of “The Princess Bride.” But somehow, seeing that book on her shelf gave me a peek into her personality long before we bonded as friends.
I was thinking about the movie this morning as I was talking to my children. Several of the phrases from “The Princess Bride” have become part of our family lexicon. “As you wish,” being one of them.
In the book and the movie, “As you wish,” was code for “I love you.”
We also love “Have fun storming the castle.”
Our family is big on irony and anachronisms. A rancher’s job is never done. The chores include fencing, ditch irritating, branding, and haying. But whenever my brother and our hired hand left for work in the morning, the hired hand’s wife always sent them off with a cheerful “have fun storming the castle.”
You never know what will spark a friendship between two people. You never know what you will discover you have in common, and how much you have to learn from differences, springing from a simple, common bond.
Star Trek The Next Generation brought my husband and I together. I remember the first day of the singles ward established in southern Utah. (A ward is a church congregation in the LDS church, normally they are based on geographic boundaries, but in some cases they are based on other factors, such as single adults, Spanish speaking congregations, etc.)
I think there was something like 80 people in the first meeting of the singles ward. We met in the historic St. George Tabernacle, a pioneer building of elaborate construction and uncomfortable benches. The most striking feature of this building is the large painted all Seeing Eye on the wall directly behind the pulpit.
During this first informal meeting, we were all asked to introduce ourselves. I had just discovered TNG and mentioned this in my introduction. At this point the stranger sitting next to me jumped. When she stood she introduced herself and said she also liked watching TNG.
From here a geek squad was formed of people who watched TNG together. Sandra, the stranger sitting next to me, was among the group.
A few months into the project after I had developed strong friendships with Sandra, Sue, Kathy, Rita and Woody, our church leader set Sandra up on a blind date with David. The relationship between Sandra and David didn’t take. But she invited him to join our TNG watching parties.
Then everyone began to pair off.
Woody and Rita married.
So did Sue and Jeff.
Then I married David.
And Sandra married Ray.
Just think, if I hadn’t mentioned Star Trek at that first meeting, or if I hadn’t decided Sandra and I would be friends because I spotted “The Princess Bride” on her bookshelf, David and I might not have found each other.