“Everyone deserves a love like this.”
My friend Michael and I sat across the table from each other at the most delicious tiny diner just outside Madison. As I finished my sandwich and reluctantly decided against buying an entire homemade pie to bring home to my husband, we got to talking about her.
After all, she was the reason we were there. She was the reason Michael and I drove to Governor Dodge State Park that morning to scout out the “perfect spot.”
“Everyone deserves a love like this,” he said to me as the waitress cleared our plates. He began to question how he ever got so lucky to meet a girl like Becky. His words sent chills down my spine.
Their story began nearly two years ago. I had two friends who I thought would be better as one.
Pre-Michael, Becky was in a bit of a slump. Not even the world’s most popular dating websites could provide her with a spark. “Maybe I’m just destined to be single,” she’d say to me over margaritas.
Michael was just beginning to plant his roots in the area. He and I ultimately became friends through our profession. As we talked over drinks at Photo Night, a light bulb went off. “I have a friend named Becky,” I said.
So naturally, like all women do, I gave Becky the login info to my Facebook account. “Go check him out, let me know what you think. He has lots of pictures.”
And she did. From that moment on, I’m not sure she ever stopped looking at his photos. 🙂 “When can I meet him?” she asked from time to time.
A month or so later, when the timing was right, I gave Michael her email address and phone number. “She knows you might be contacting her,” I said. (What I meant was, “Email her now, or I’ll cry.”)
And so it began. Their first conversation, followed by a first date. On New Year’s Eve, they shared their first kiss. Over the next year, their love story unfolded right before my eyes — Becky gushed to me through endless emails and phone calls, and Michael thanked me for introducing him to the love of his life.
He’s right. Everyone does deserve a love like theirs. I’m pretty certain they’ve never had a substantial argument. Neither one has ever said a bad word about each other … ever. There was never any doubt, never any worry, never any second-guessing. From the moment they met, they knew this was it.
***
“Aug. 13,” the subject line read. It was mid-April — nearly a year and a half after their first kiss — and his plans were beginning to form. “How does that day look for you this year?” Michael asked. “That will be the day I’ll pop the question.”
I quickly paged through my calendar to see if I had a wedding. Open! Thank you Jesus.
“As a VIP in our relationship … I wanted to first extend the request to you that you be our documentarian that day,” he continued. (In non-Michael words, that meant he wanted me to photograph the proposal.)
Oh heck yes! And so it was. Tommy and I left our house at 6:30 a.m. a few Saturdays back, drove to Governor Dodge State Park, hiked through a torrential downpour to the perfect spot, hid in the woods, and waited. We waited for two of my closest friends to promise each other forever …
As soon as they reached the bluff, Michael told Becky he made something for her. It was a book: “The Story of Us.” His words, not mine …
“There is nobody else I can respect as much as I respect you. Nobody can make me laugh like you do. Nobody can make me a kinder, gentler, more loving person like you do.
There’s nobody else I’d want to spend the rest of my life with. Nobody else I’d rather have a family with. Nobody else I’d want at my side through my triumphs or troubles. And nobody else I’d rather stand with through theirs.”
He’s pulling out the ring!
“She said yes!”
When I think of these two, I realize only God is responsible for bringing them together. I couldn’t have paired such a perfect match if I spent all my life trying.
Congratulations, my dear friends. I can’t wait for a lifetime of memories together. 🙂
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