by Dana Altura
To be honest, it feels like it was only yesterday that I was greeted by the best surprise of my life: my boyfriend got down on his knees and asked me to marry him.
He also got the best response: “Yeah duh!”
I have always daydreamed how I would answer “that” question, but I guess no one would really know how to respond until the moment happens. You know how they say that emotions sometimes get the best of us… well, in this particular moment my emotions truly got the best of me.
Dress shopping, venue hunting, scouting for vendors, studying proposals, signing contracts, attending marriage prep, making deposit payments… the list can go on; and there have been amazing experiences and many firsts for the both of us. You’d think that men barely participate in the process of wedding planning but Lorenzo has been with me through every decision, which I can’t help but feel thankful for as it makes all this planning less stressful and more enjoyable.
Aside from the fact that the past fourteen months have kept us fairly occupied with wedding planning, there have been quite a few bumps in the road, and probably mostly from me…
I remember some nine months into the engagement, I started getting nervous and questioned myself if I am really ready for this big change. Am I really worthy to receive a blessing that I feel like I do not deserve? Again, I remind myself that it is and will always be God’s plan.
Shortly after this little “scare”, we attended a marriage preparation course, and we learned so many things! Some of which were about the Sacrament of Matrimony, family planning, how to maintain a long lasting relationship, and budgeting. During one of the sessions, a Christian article about true love was shared. Here is an excerpt of my favourite part that literally had me tearing:
“And if a woman chooses to put her husband first, to follow his lead as the true Church defers to her heavenly Bridegroom, if she is patient with his failings (those he sees and those he does not), if she encourages him and forgives him, if she respects him even when his faults are obvious or she must pay the price for his mistakes, if she has the courage to tell him the truth in love, yet stand by him through it all…. And if neither wife nor husband will let the sun go down on their anger, but if each will race to repent and reconcile, and if both determine to let nothing on earth divide them as long as they both shall live, there, I tell you, is true love.”
That beautiful message really spoke volumes to me, and right at that moment, my self-doubt left me. I sat down in prayer offering to the Lord our relationship, the rest of our wedding preparation, and most importantly our future marriage.
Looking back at our relationship, it definitely has not been perfect. Heck, we’re still far from it. We’ve both doubted each other, failed each other many times, and I know we will still have disagreements during our marriage, but I hold on to my belief that God is about to piece two imperfect and broken people together, unite them through true love and never allow their marriage to be broken. It’s simply amazing how God works when you allow yourself to be vulnerable in His love.
We’re now less than two months away from the big day — the word excited does not even come close to describe how I feel: knowing that in two months, our ‘nightly prayers’ do not have to be said over the phone anymore; how in two months, I don’t have to be dropped off at home anymore; how in two months, we can attend daily Mass together; and how in two months, we can possibly work on our dream of having a little Catholic family.
Please continue to pray for us and our marriage!
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