A Beauty Glorious

Dear Diary,

I’m engaged! I’m only fourteen and I’m engaged! I can hardly believe it. Dad has finally given his permission for Joseph to marry me. I’ve imagined this moment for so long, and now that it’s here… I hardly know how to describe it. I feel like just sitting and looking at the ring one minute, and turning cartwheels the next.

So here’s how it happened. This morning, I was just finishing washing the dishes when Joseph somehow snuck in behind me and put his arm around my waist. He gave up knocking at the front door months ago. He asked me how long it would take me to get ready, and I asked him ready for what. He just winked and said it was a surprise. (Tee-hee, I love it when he winks at me! I get butterflies every single time.) I had to remember to tell him I couldn’t be gone long because I had chores to do. He said that he’d already cleared it with my mom and she’d given him permission to steal me for a few hours.

By this time I was definitely curious and excited, so I told him to give me five minutes, and I ran upstairs to brush my hair and change my dress. I know, I know—the other one was fine, but I wanted to feel a bit prettier than normal today. It was closer to ten minutes before I was back downstairs. I couldn’t decide how I wanted to do my hair. I ended up just twisting it back on one side a little bit.

Joseph took me on a long walk up a hill around to our favorite spot, overlooking the valley. You can see for miles, and at night you can see every single star. There was a picnic basket waiting for us under a tree.

I can honestly say it was the most perfect afternoon ever. We ate sandwiches and talked and lay in the shade looking up at the sunlight through the leaves. After a while I was leaning against the tree trying to count the sheep in the valley. That was when Joseph looked at me with a strange kind of expression, very serious and a little nervous. I remember being about to ask if it was almost time to be heading back…

Then he got down on one knee and my heart began to pound.

He took my left hand in his and said, “Mary, you are the most incredible girl I have ever met. You’re beautiful, and thoughtful, and whimsical, and so kind and wonderful that I don’t know what I ever did to deserve you, but God has given me one whole blessed year to call you my beloved, and—I hope it’s not selfish to say that I never want that to end. I love you, Mary. I hope you already know that, but I need to say it again. I love you, and I want you to be mine for all of forever.”

I could hardly believe what I was hearing. I was smiling like an idiot and trying not to cry and squeezing his hand and not wanting to interrupt but at the same time just wanting to throw my arms around his neck.

Finally, he said it. “Mary… will you marry me?”

And then I did throw my arms around him. And I did squeal and sob all at once and say “yes, yes, I love you, I love you,” over and over.

He slipped a ring on my finger, and it just looked so right, like my hand was made for it. I was made to wear this ring and hold his hand in mine.

Somehow we got home and my parents were already in on the secret, so we celebrated and my mom cried and my dad made a beautiful toast, but I don’t remember any of it. The only thing I remember is wrapping my arm through Joseph’s and thinking that I would never have to let go.

This is the happiest day of my life. I love him so much. Let the happily ever after begin!