I remember it very well. My boyfriend and I were in this
restaurant on a date. But unlike other dates, I had my head down most of the
time while eating my food. This was not a
happy date. He told me some news, something that I didn’t want to hear. He
would be relocating to the province soon, as he truly believed in his heart
that God wanted him to work there.
OK…what about our
future? We had been in a committed relationship for more than three years,
and it was clear that marriage was part of the plan. And living in the city. So why did this wild card suddenly
surface and catch me off guard? This was not
part of the original plan.
Guess what? This was reality. Who was I to get in the way of
God’s plan? As we exited the restaurant, I began to cry. While walking past
partying weekend people. I must have looked like a mess.
So our relationship would soon be classified under “LDR”
(long-distance relationship). But wait. I was hoping at this time that he
would’ve already proposed marriage. After all, he expressed years back that
after he took the Bar Exams, his plan was to settle down already. So the Bar
was over, but no hint of a proposal.
Maybe at Christmas,
I thought. Christmas came and went, and no proposal.
Anyway, he did relocate at the start of the new year, and we
got used to seeing each other only every other week. Meanwhile, I wondered when
he would ask me to marry him. Maybe
during Valentine’s Day. (OK, I’m the romantic type, so this would be the
perfect time to pop the question!) But nope. Maybe during my birthday. My birthday’s in May, and by this time,
the results of the Bar were already out for sometime (he passed!), so I figured
this might be the time. Wrong!
After this, I finally surrendered my expectations to the Lord.
Up went the white flag. I decided to just trust in God’s timing. I continued to
live my single life fully, enjoying the opportunities to serve the Lord in our
singles ministry, putting nothing on hold.
One normal day in July, as my boyfriend and I went out for
coffee after having dinner with his family in a dampa*, he started saying something like the more he got to know
me, the more he realized I was the one for him. I was totally clueless as to
what this was leading to. Then he asked me, “Will you marry me?” I could hardly
believe my ears. So much so that I began to rattle on (I can’t remember now
what I said) and my tongue couldn’t even enunciate a “yes!” (I think that made
him nervous.) Finally, after what seemed like an eternity (to him…I think it
was just a few minutes, though), I said, “Yes!”
While he was bringing me home, I was giddy. But I wondered, Where’s the ring? I tried to brush it
off, not wanting to be demanding. But minutes after we arrived at my house, my
fiancé of less than an hour caught me by surprise. A tiny box emerged from his
hand. He opened it to reveal…the ring! OK, that got me. I started to cry (for
joy now).
Oh cool, wedding mode was officially on! But provincial living
mode? Um…say what? Let’s deny that for
the meantime, folks…I am getting married!!!
* A restaurant where you can buy fresh seafood and have it cooked to your
liking; “a wet market restaurant,” says my hubby
> Howdy, readers! Thanks for reading! Just post your own comments below, whether it be about your own proposal stories, waiting and what not! God bless!
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