A love story...

Once upon a time, there was a young man who mentioned to his dad that he wanted to find a woman he could love his whole life long.  His dad told him he wasn't going to find one by sitting at home, praying that an angel would fall out of heaven and onto his lap.  Secretly, the young man really did hope that this would happen and had been praying for a while before he mentioned it to his dad.

 

God was listening and answered his prayer. The young man's younger brother and sister caught wind of his prayer and thought they knew just the way to introduce their beautiful friend to their big brother.  They took it upon themselves to create ways to bring them together. And over time the young man got to know a beautiful rose.

  

After months of introductions the opportunity for the young man to make a move finally came on a cold December night when both the young man and the beautiful rose were invited to a Christmas caroling event.  The younger siblings made sure that the young man and the beautiful rose would spend the evening.  They were assigned twelve homes for their evening of caroling.  At every stop friends asked the young man, "How many houses left?"

It took the young man eleven stops to muster the courage to ask the beautiful rose to to spend another evening with him.  When he finally asked...while walking along the shoulder of the highway, in front of a little house...a huge weight was immediately lifted from the young man's shoulders as the beautiful rose said "Yes!"  

Their first date lasted four hours (it felt a lot shorter), drinking coffee on a cold Boxing Day in December.

The relationship blossomed and ten months later on another cold evening in October, the young man knelt before the beautiful rose under the light of a full moon. The words came filled with hope, "Will you be my wife?" The weight on the young man's shoulders appeared to come rushing back as the beautiful rose said, “No!  No!  No!” shocked by the moment. But as the realization of the moment settled in the beautiful rose embraced the young man and responded with a deep heartfelt "Yes!"

Once again the young man sighed with great relief and the next eight months passed in a blur. On a beautiful, warm day in June, the beautiful rose was escorted down a long aisle before family and friends - accompanied by her father who was turning shades of green. At the end of the aisle stood the young man, praising God for the angel he had sent for the young man to love his whole life long. 

Eighteen years, four boys, and a major move later, this love story continues. God willing it will continue for many, many more healthy happy, totally in love years!

Happy Anniversary my beautiful Rose! 
I love you forever and always!