Gracie and I didn’t know it yet, but when she asked our bible study if anyone wanted to get hot cocoa and look at Christmas lights downtown, it was the start of something. Actually, it almost ended it before it began- when nobody else responded, she asked me if I still wanted to come, “otherwise no pressure.” Since I had already committed to going, I was going to go even if she wasn’t. I wanted hot cocoa. We had met at our church, Woodside Detroit, the year prior. At least Gracie says we did, I apparently made an excuse and ran off right after we met. So much for first impressions. We went to the same bible study and had gotten to know each other through movie nights, board games, and an impromptu book club, but that was it. I thought she was attractive, obviously, but we were just friends. But at the Dessert Oasis, as we were sipping our hot cocoa and I was explaining my plans to move out of state and pursue graduate school, something changed. While I was lamenting moving (again), she asked me where my home was. Not my physical home, but where I felt most “at home.” When I said, “probably Wisconsin,” she disagreed earnestly. “You haven’t lived there for years; your home is here. We would miss you if you left.” She was direct, and even though we didn’t know each other very well, willing to share her opinion on my life. I liked it. Not only that, but she said that if I did get into grad school, I “had to go,” since I was so passionate about aerospace. If you’ve met Gracie, you know that she’s like this with everyone. In addition, she does not “drop hints,” “rizz,” or otherwise flirt, at least not intentionally. I did not know this though, so I worked up an idea that there was something special between us. I made sure to send her thoughtful messages when it was nice outside, like “Snow!”. When she sat next to me at church one Sunday and called me afterwards to invite me to get food with our friends, I was certain she definitely felt the same way I did. Part of Gracie’s story is that despite her desire to be married, she wasn’t sure if she would ever meet the right person. It takes her a long time to figure out how she feels about someone, and she doesn’t like traditional romantic gestures like holding hands until she has an emotional connection. So when I kissed her on the cheek and asked her out in the parking lot of the bagel shop, it really should have gone badly. But it didn’t. Fortunately, God had made it clear to her that she needed to be patient when dating, and because of that she was willing to give me a chance. Actually, two chances- but after a rocky first date, I started learning who she really was and stopped trying to hold her hand. Through it all though, my feelings for her didn’t waver. Gracie frequently tells me that in those early stages of our relationship, my patience and consistency gave her a lot of confidence to figure out how she felt about me. So you can imagine my surprise when, last March, I asked her what her timeline was to get married and she said, “Whenever you’re ready.” When we started dating, I had always had marriage in mind, but I didn’t know when I would be ready. Knowing that God was working in her and myself, teaching us how to love patiently and sacrificially, gave me—and gives me—a lot of confidence that we could work through future problems together. Six months later, we were engaged. It has been such a joy to get to know and be known by Gracie, with all the laughs along the way at our bumbling attempts at romance. The patient love that Jesus has taught us is stronger and more tenacious than any burst of flame that would eventually fade, and it makes for a much better story. We are so excited to celebrate this June and start our life together.