Rose Is Engaged!

 

I had wondered if it would ever happen to our family--and last week it happened!

Our beautiful Rose got engaged to a fine young man, Tommy Hagerty, who has been dating her for a year and a half.

We've known the family for about six years, and have been good friends most of that time, with their six children and ours getting together at any possible time for Bible studies, games, horseback riding, roping, special events, and more. 

He stood out to me, and he stood out to Rose.

Ever since February of two years ago, they have been serious about each other, beginning to officially date in June of 2022. But they have patiently waited, working hard to prepare financially and in every way for marriage. 

Tommy called Jonathan a couple weeks ago, asking permission to marry our daughter, a step we both greatly appreciated. We don't consider it totally necessary for a young man to ask our permission to marry a daughter if he has already asked permission to date her. But when he has that much respect and courage, his reputation goes up a couple notches in our esteem.

Tommy also asked if he could come up for Christmas and surprise Rose!

Of course, we were delighted! He pulled it off perfectly while we all dutifully kept our mouths shut from letting on anything, although I was trying to clean up extra since company was coming. 

I kept thinking Tommy was going to pop the question--maybe Christmas Eve, maybe Christmas Day. He kept working and helping around the house with butchering, electrical issues, and other projects, and I kept wondering.

He played lots of games with the boys, especially Axis and Allies, and pulled up "Ultimate Cowboy"  and I kept wondering. 

Rose kept working hard, helping sew new curtains for the kitchen and livingroom, as well as sewing a pretty song bird cover for a seat mat for my hard wooden kitchen chair.

With my skinny frame, I need a cushion for sitting on. 

But when Tommy decided to take a late afternoon walk to the river with Rose near sunset, several of us had our suspicions that something was about to happen.

"Do you think he's going to propose?" Hannah asked.

I got Jonathan, who was inside momentarily in between clearing our long, snowy driveway with a borrowed skid steer, to take a couple pictures of the happy couple starting out for the frozen river.

I loved how our Christmas star was the perfect frame through the kitchen window.  

A star of hope, of joy, and of guidance. 

And sure enough, something happened down there! I never did ask yet exactly how it happened, but when they came back, Rose's face was glowing as brightly as a thousand Christmas lights! I didn't dare turn around from washing up dishes before supper, but Rose caught my eye once with a huge grin on her face, and I wondered when they were going to make their announcement. They had to wait till after supper when Jonathan finally returned home after dark after finishing clearing the driveway. When he had finished eating, the two of them stood holding hands in front of the wood stove, and we knew the moment had come. 

It was obvious they were about to say something, so I got the attention of a couple sons in the living room, and Crystal asked, "Do we need to sit down?" promptly sliding onto the bench at the kitchen table. I sat down by Jonathan, and Tommy said something, and then Rose said simply, "We're gonna get married!"

And that is how it happened at the Lucas home three days after Christmas--the beautiful thing that I had wondered if it would ever happen.

And it happened so beautifully, so simply, and so wonderfully.

No restaurant, no roses, and nothing big.

Just a simple walk to White River, and they came back engaged!

Just like Rose and Tommy!

I loved it! 

It sounds like they would like a wedding in May or June, so now we have a lot of happy plans to make!