Together, Better

Two minutes later. This is love, and perhaps a tribute to modern orthodonture.

I was on my way home from grocery shopping Saturday when the phone in my car rang, and was so glad Earl has a fancy Bluetooth system so that I could answer without taking my hands off the wheel. Safety first, but I had seen who the call was from, and any time there's a Boy calling in the middle of the day it's best to make sure there hasn't been some kind of catastrophe.

"Hey, Mom!" Boy#2's voice came out of the speaker. "Just a second...I'm patching Dad in to this call."

The line went dead, though, and a couple of seconds later Two was back.

"Okay, I'm in Iceland, and apparently we can't make it a three-way international call. Call when you get home."

Iceland?

Husband was waiting at the door with the second phone when I walked in, and I picked up the receiver to hear our second-born tell us that he and the lovely young woman he's been dating for three years are now engaged. They had flown to Iceland for the weekend, and he knelt next to a frozen pond to ask her to marry him. (A side note: Proposals are a lot fancier than they were 35 years ago.)

We weren't surprised--several weeks ago we had been told to block off an autumn 2018 date on our calendars--but I was taken off guard when I found myself in tears. Look at the faces in today's picture. As happy as they are? That's how happy I am.

As parents, we hope our children will find mates who see the good, the strong, the special in our loved ones. Those of us who pray begin praying when our child is tiny that at the right time the right person will come into his life, and that they'll both be better because they're together.

That is what this tall, dark-haired beauty has been for my son. She helped him keep his head up during the slog of his doctoral studies. She laughs at his jokes. She encourages him to wear funny hats. She is a cutthroat game player. She holds her own in the chaos that is the House on the Corner. And she is so, so smart, a doctor who is training to help tiny babies see better.

Most importantly, she loves our son, demonstrating this in ways I can only admire.

A year ago, when Boy#3 needed a tuba player in his high school marching band, she gave up part of her Thanksgiving vacation to cheer on the Fighting Greenbacks (not even kidding) at the state championship.

And one time, when Two was trying to find where a gasket on his aging Taurus was failing, she (forgive in advance the caps gone wild) VOLUNTEERED to CLIMB INTO THE TRUNK and let him POUR WATER OVER IT. There are not enough dollars in the world or love in the universe to make me do something like this, but she was game.

What I'm trying to say is that this smart, game, lively woman is the one who makes my son a better man, and we have fallen in love with her just as he has.

We are so glad she will be our Lovely Girl#2.