a perfect proposal...

on a cold winter's morn, the eve before christmas she awoke feeling as though there was something special in the air. she couldn't quite put her finger on it so she wrote it off as christmas "fuzzies" and went on to enjoy the day.

a little later that morning her parents told her and her boyfriend that as a christmas gift they had bought them two tickets for a wine tour at a beautiful winery on the local mountain for later that afternoon. she knew this was a great idea and was so excited she couldn't wait for the time to come.

around 1pm that afternoon they were dropped off at the winery to enjoy the aromas and tastes of so many world renown canadain wines. the tour was amazing and with the snow covered ground it was a beautiful afternoon. nearing the end of the tour it came time to taste the wine. elizabeth their tour guide had four wines out to taste each one very specific and delicious. not a moment later elizabeth began to say that it was a "special" tour this day because there was an australian with them, so they were going to taste a "special" wine. she went on to say that this australian gentleman (her boyfriend) had something that he wanted to say and winked at him.

she was turned toward him as he proceeded to tell her that..."since the day he told her he loved her, he knew that she was the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with". he then bent down on one knee, pulled out the most PERFECT ring she had ever seen and asked those four precious words she had been longing to hear..."will you marry me?" as it all set in she realized she needed to respond, and so of course she said "yeah"! they embraced and he placed the ring on her finger. her parents then entered the room from where they had been watching with two dozen long stemmed pink roses! they were all able to taste the wine and then for the next half hour snap photos so they would be abel to remember the most...."perfect proposal".

opposites attract...

what is the opposite of giving up?

to Persevere...

question then, what does it mean to persevere?

“to continue in a course of action even in the face of difficulty or with little or no prospect of success...”

if we were to be, search our heart honest with ourselves, how many of us can say with full certainty that we persevere? there certainly have been times when I look back on my 25 years of life thus far that I can say, “YES” to that question. but, most of the time I know that I ran in the opposite direction when faced with a trial that required me to press on.

i have been surprised in such a confronting manner by a young lady who of late has taken a place in my heart so large that at times i wonder how much space i have left for anything else. she has impressed to me whether she is aware of this or not, so many attributes of the character of God and his heart for his children that i know i love him more because of her. how has she done this you may ask...

well in it’s simplest form, she loves. she loves with her whole heart not holding anything back even though at times she wants to protect herself, she doesn’t, she lets others in. she laughs, she cries, she ponders, she explores, but she does none of this alone, she takes others on this incredible journey with her. i have seen this woman for months now pursue the father heart of God like i have never before witnessed. she came into my life not knowing what his voice sounded like, or in which direction she was going, not knowing how to love with all her heart, not knowing how to see him, and with so many questions plaguing her. when faced with these thoughts and questions most of us would, like i was saying earlier RUN. when faced with our own thoughts and fears most of us find ourselves moving away from the trial, away from the challenge. but not her. feet firmly planted she stood not wavering, not moving, not shrinking back, she persevered. she continued in her course of action even in the face of difficulty with really no prospect of success other than this small nagging glimmer of HOPE within her heart until finally...

a response.

a vision.

an experience.

purpose, and insight into her father’s heart for his children.

i have never in my life been privileged enough to witness and be a part of something so personal, something so unique that it only makes me want to love God more. and her story in and of itself is enough hope, enough passion to stir my faith for greater things.

there's someone i'd like you to meet...

his name is stephen john bryde.
you may be asking yourself, "why does she want us to meet him?" well the reason for this introduction is because he plays a very important role in my life. not only is he rapidly becoming my best friend and close confidant, he's also a kick up the butt or slap in the face when i'm selfish or stubborn. he's a warm embrace when i'm lonely, or hurting, he's a strength when i'm weak, he's a shoulder to cry on when i'm sad, or a smile and full of joy when i'm happy. he's an inspiration through his creativity and vast knowledge and love for design, languages, music, other cultures and nations. he's also so much more that i have yet to experience....

he's my boyfriend.

we have been through a lot in our relationship thus far but it is a journey that i wouldn't trade for anything. thanks stephen for just being you.