I remember how anxious I felt on that Valentine’s Day in 2000.  The ring was purchased, the reservations at the famous Sundial restaurant were made; all I needed was the courage to ask my soon-to-be wife the question of a lifetime.  I was nervous, not from riding in a glass elevator 73 stories above Atlanta, or from fear that she would say “no” but from the reality of the question.  This one question would forever change both of our lives.

     As we sat in the spinning, panoramic complex I prepared myself.  The mood seemed right and the timing was perfect.  Just as I reached for the ring, the fellow sitting at a nearby table bowed his knee to the ground and made a subtle commotion.  He too came with a ring and stole my thunder as he asked his date for a hand in marriage.  Not wanting to be a copy-cat proposer I put the ring back in my coat pocket and finished the meal.

     Later that evening on a carriage ride through historic Atlanta, I took Heather’s hand, with no one watching but God, and asked the question.  She said “yes” and God has been writing our story ever since.  I didn’t realize it that evening but as I look back I understand something about love- it takes courage and patience to demonstrate it.  As Mel Lawrenz says, “Love is not a silly sentiment or adolescent infatuation; love is the gutsiest and boldest of human initiatives.”