The Proposal

When my grandson first invited us to witness his marriage proposal, I was thrilled but admittedly a bit hesitant. Proposals are normally intimate, but when it all goes down in a shopping mall, perhaps a little outside viewing would be acceptable. And so it was that last night Granddaddy and I along with about a dozen or so of their friends stood outside a photo booth in Arbor Place Mall and waited with cameras and phones poised for the couple to emerge.

What I did not expect was the little screen on the outside of the booth that displayed what was happening inside the booth. This grandma's heart was beyond words to be a part of this momentous occasion. As it turned out, the photo booth proposal inside a busy mall was absolutely perfect. The friends gathered around outside, the cheering and clapping as passersby gawked and laughed - it was all just perfect. And of course the fact that she said yes was important, but we all knew that would be her answer.

This morning I've been mulling over last night's events and thinking about how wonderful it is to see the first of our next generation step out in faith towards his future. We are a combined family with six children and fifteen grandchildren. For 28 years we have worked, prayed, fought, laughed and loved our way to becoming a real family. Yes, we still have problems, differences, good days and bad, but we are in fact a family. One that has been woven together over the years by God's grace and a lot of patience, forgiveness and love from each other.

So, here we go with another level. Cortney brings her own personality, talents and giftings to mesh with ours. Most importantly, she brings her faith and belief in God. I thrilled to know our next generation begins with two people sold out to God and committed to building a Christian home.

Families are a small version of the body of Christ. I believe the Lord puts us together in a way that brings glory to His name and benefits His kingdom on this earth. We have a specific responsibility as a family unit to further His purposes on this earth. With each addition we have one more person to stand with us in prayer, one more person to bring revelation and insight to our family; thus we are made stronger as a family.

Cortney is a beautiful young lady with a gentleness and purity that is endearing. She is also a wonderfully gifted artist and a natural teacher with patience for working with children. Her love for Thomas and his family is apparent and heartwarming. She will soon become a wife, a daughter and a granddaughter. (We don't have "in-laws" in our family) We are blessed to have her among us.

Welcome Cortney - we are thrilled to have you on board!

Lovin' the season...