The Proposal

Christmas Day has come and gone and the scope of this blog has been reached. Here are the events of the last 48 hours or so.

My original intent on Christmas Eve was to ask the father of 'the Gal' for permission to marry his daughter. The family was all coming over for a play/concert that 'the Gal' had organized. I thought this would be a good opportunity to guide her father away for a moment to deliver my question. The concert was such a success that there never was a dull moment in order for me to do this. Nearly a dozen songs were played by either 'the Gal' or myself and the other members of her family. The 'Family Christmas' play she had written was well performed by everyone. It was a great night to remember. Several people departed for church soon after or went home to prepare the evening meal. Two hours later we found ourselves at the home of 'the Gal's' brother. We had a terrific meal and played the board game 'Outburst' to round off the evening. Once again I could not find the right moment to pull her father aside to talk. It was only when I overheard we were having her parents over for breakfast the next morning that I knew this would be the right time.

I awoke on Christmas morning with a case of nerves. I was on the eve of 'go time'. 'The Gal' and I soon found ourselves preparing breakfast for everyone. We all ate a hearty breakfast of bacon, eggs, homemade bread, and coffee. This helped a lot to calm me down. As her father got up to leave I asked him to join me in my office for a moment. As he stepped inside I closed the door and took the ring from the desk drawer. I opened the box to him and asked, "I've never done this before and when the time came I wanted to do it right. Would it be ok if I were to give this to your daughter?"

"Absolutely." he replied. We shook each others hand and shared a brief hug. My emotions were beginning to get the better of me. For obfuscation purposes, we left the room with well delivered stories of burnt-out stove fuses and floor joists. 'The Gal' and I cleaned up the kitchen after everyone had left and then we both got ready to go next door for dinner.

'The Gal' nearly escaped out the door with a pot of potatoes before I stopped her and brought her back to the living room. I asked her to sit down on the couch and the two dogs gathered around her. I went to the next room and brought back a goblet and a heart shaped vase filled with red sand. The vase was a gift I gave her for our 1st year anniversary. I pried off the wax seal and asked her to pour the sand into the goblet. She began to pour the the sand and at one point a small, rolled up piece of paper tumbled out. I retrieved it from the goblet and told her to remove the gold-coloured string that bound it together. As she opened the message it read, 'Will you marry me?' I knelt on one knee and opened the ringbox I had stored in a drawer near my feet. The look on her face will never leave my memory.

"Of course I will!" she giggled, glowing with happiness. We embraced, kissed, and as we have many times, spoke of the love we have for each other. She carefully took the ring from the box and placed it onto her finger. "It's beautiful." she said. To which I replied, "It's Canadian. My one and only requirement."

"I'm sure glad we have diamonds in Canada." she laughed.

I will always laugh and love with this woman. My Gal, my fiancee, my love...