“ For me , true love came when I chose to be content with my life on my own .”
then , this past fall , we began to feel that the time had come for us to take the next step . Knowing my affinity for all things old , that sweet man of mine picked out a lovely , vintage , three-stone ring that represents our love . In the center sits a blue zircon ( echoing the Caribbean blue of Dan ’ s eyes ) that signifies Christ in the center of our relationship , and there are two diamonds on each side , representing Dan and me . The ring is circa 1930 , and I think it was actually made the year that my mother was born , making it even more sentimental for me .
I had envisioned many times sharing the details of our engagement with you , my She Magazine family , as I promised when my love story began . Many of you have been wonderful to share your excitement , your support for us , and your wishes for our happy life together . It just seemed natural that I would share this special announcement here first . However , though no harm was meant , a family member took a photo of Dan and me at Christmas when we showed our family the ring , and he posted that on Facebook before I could let him know we had not yet made the announcement public . Though he took the post down , I know that some of my friends were hurt that I didn ’ t share it with them before announcing it on Facebook . I wanted to take this time to let you all know that was not my intent .
So , you may now be wondering , “ When is the wedding ?” Actually , as with our relationship thus far , we are not in a hurry to set a date . Our plans are to enjoy every sweet , beautiful moment that God chooses to give us . Just as we savored our dating period , we will now relish the season of our engagement . This is one of the many things that I ’ ve learned from Dan ’ s life on the farm . Slow is sometimes much better . For a girl like me , who lives her life in fast forward and tries to keep up with never ending deadlines , slowing down in my personal life and enjoying the view has been wonderful .
Also , according to advice I heard from a pastor some time ago , there ’ s something Dan and I have to do before we can get married . We have to fight . Well , at least we have to have an argument , which means we have to find something about which to fight . We get along so well that , to this day , we have never even had an argument . I cannot imagine what we would disagree about ! Nearly a year ago , I shared with Dan what the pastor had said , and we ’ ve talked about having a fight , but we just end up laughing about it . The truth is that Dan is so good to me that if he ever did something to make me mad at him , I know he would be bothered to know that he had hurt me or upset me . That alone would make my getting angry futile . Besides , there ’ s enough anger and fighting in this world . I think we will just continue to love one another without arguing .
This is just my love story . Wait until you read the other beautiful stories of love , hope , and happiness that made their way into this year ’ s LOVE AND MARRIAGE Issue . If you find yourself uncertain about the possibility of love everlasting in your life , remember it ’ s never too late for love to make its way into your life and your heart . For me , true love came when I chose to be content with my life on my own . It was only in my finding happiness in God and what He has given me that He was able to give me the desire of my heart , even when I wasn ’ t aware that it was there .
Whatever your situation this Valentine ’ s Day , editorially speaking , we have tried to speak to you where you are , right now . I hope you enjoy this issue , and above all , know that you have the unfailing , unfathomable love of God , whose love is greater than all the love this world can hold .
Thanks for reading ... It ’ s a woman thing !
SHEMAGAZINE . COM FEBRUARY 2017 7