From Lourdes to Love - How a Prayer Turned Into a Promise In August 2021, as France was limiting travel-especially from Asian countries-I took a leap of faith. Alongside UVSA alumni and Vietnamese-American community leaders, I journeyed to France to visit UVSA Paris leaders and reconnect with alumni from the 1980s. During that trip, we visited the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes—a sacred place nearly five hours from Paris where people from around the world gather in search of healing. While many come with prayers for physical health, I stood before the grotto with a different prayer in my heart: “Dear Lady of Lourdes, I’m not here to ask for healing of the body. If anything, it’s healing of the heart. Please… help me find the love of my life before the end of 2021.” Then Came November 21, 2021... That evening, I was at the Garden Grove Recreation Center, across from Bolsa Grande High School, playing badminton - something I often did to unwind. And that night, she showed up. All the courts were full, and Duy was sitting on the bench. I asked if she wanted to rally on the side. She smiled and said she didn’t really know how to play—but I offered to show her anyway. We hit back and forth casually. It was lighthearted. But something about it felt different. After we sat down, it was her turn to play. A group of students teased playfully: "Ai muốn chơi với chị dễ thương này không?" ("Who wants to play with this cute sister?") I smiled, looked at them, and said, "Sit down. I’ll play with her." We teamed up for mixed doubles. Since she was still learning, our opponents kept targeting her side. I ran hard to cover for us, breathing heavy, but I didn’t mind. Midway through the match, I looked at her and thought: “It’d be funny if I married this girl one day.” We won the game. Afterward, we sat down again and chatted. I don’t know why I did it, but I blurted out: "What’s your email?" And then in my head silently panicked: “Did I really just ask for her email?!” She laughed. “I’ll just give you my number.” That same night, I texted her: (Here's what happened) 📲 “Nov 21, 2021 at 8:07 PM Billy: "Nice meeting you Duy. Good job winning today 😇" (Rất vui được gặp Duy hôm nay. Đánh hay lắm đó) Duy: "Nice to meet you too! Thank you for coaching me anh Billy!" (Em cũng rất vui được gặp anh! Cảm ơn anh Billy đã chỉ em chơi nha!) Billy: "Không có chi. Nhớ ráng tập là sẽ giỏi 🥰 để partner mình không chạy nhiều 😅" (Không có chi. Nhớ ráng tập sẽ giỏi 🥰 để partner không phải chạy nhiều 😅) Duy: "Hahaha I’m sorryyyyyyy" (Hahaha em xin lỗiiiiii) Billy: "No worries.. (Không sao đâu...) Thôi chạy nhiều rồi… đi tìm đồ ăn tối mới được 😅 (No worries… I’ve run a lot—time to find some dinner now 😅) Duy: "Em “giúp” anh chạy nhiều để anh ăn ngon hơn đó (I “helped” you run more so your food will taste better!) Billy: Kiểu này phải bắt đền em trong tương lai… mua bù một ly Boba 😅😂 (In that case, I’ll have to hold you accountable in the future… buy me a Boba to make up for it 😅😂) Duy: No problem anh! I’ll treat you to boba haha (Không thành vấn đề anh! Em bao anh ly boba nha!) Billy: Hứa nha… đừng để partner này đợi. 😅 (Promise me, okay? Don’t leave this partner waiting 😅) Duy: You have my word, partner! (Em hứa mà, partner!) And the Rest Was History… On 12.22.21 - a palindrome date - I asked her to be my girlfriend. Then, on top of a mountain in Bergen, Norway, under the dancing northern lights and on my birthday (01.23.25)… I asked her to marry me. One prayer. One game of badminton. And a lifetime of love that began with a badminton racket… and a promise of boba. What started as a playful match turned into something much deeper - moving toward not just a badminton partner, but a life partner. Through every rally, every laugh, and every quiet moment, we found someone to grow with, to believe in, and to walk alongside-grounded in compassion, rooted in Đạo, and ready for forever.