Sometimes, life surprises you when you least expect it. What began as a simple conversation slowly grew into something far deeper and more meaningful than I could have imagined. From the very beginning, there was an ease with Sharon a comfort that felt natural, steady, and reassuring. Not long after we started talking, my mom and sister came to visit from India. When we traveled together to meet Sharon, I watched them connect with her almost instantly. Seeing the two people who know me best admire her warmth, kindness, and grace felt like a quiet confirmation that this was something special. It was one of those moments where you don’t need words to understand what your heart already knows. As we spent more time together, meeting again and simply sharing moments, my admiration for Sharon only grew. Being with her felt grounding and joyful at the same time conversations flowed easily, laughter came naturally, and even silence felt comfortable. I realized that some people don’t enter your life to make noise; they enter to bring peace. Choosing forever with Sharon felt effortless. It wasn’t about a single moment, but about countless small ones that made everything feel right. As we begin this next chapter together, I know this for certain: life became richer, warmer, and more beautiful the moment Sharon became part of it. Loving her is, and always will be, my greatest joy.

I remember lying in bed one night and hearing a lot of whispering going on downstairs. Mom and Dad were excitedly chatting, and I remember hearing “call him, yes, we should talk now.” The next day, I woke up to a 4 am text before work from my dad. Usually it’s a to-do list for the day- “Make sure you check your tire pressure”, “ Call Appachan and Ammachy today”, “ Yell at Appu for his B on his physics exam.” This time, dad’s text included a profile- it was Manu’s. He mentioned that they had found Manu’s profile on Syro Match, they liked him and had talked to his dad, and wanted to see what I thought. The next few weeks were a blur. We met Manu and his family when they came to visit him in Dallas. The first meeting included my Perappan and Peramma (my maternal uncle and aunt). I distinctly remember after the meeting my Perappan called my dad and said that he liked Manu 80% and the rest 20% should be based on how much I liked him. From there blossomed a relationship founded on the joy of simply spending time with each other. Manu became a steady presence in my life since then. I was doing medical school rotations in Galveston and I would often call him on my drive back. Talking to him, hearing his stories, laughing at his House references made the hour long drive seem like 10 minutes. His enthusiasm for fluid dynamics (and his adorable attempts to teach me physics) always made me smile. He quickly warmed up to my family and roped them all in to “torture” me about when he was going to propose. Despite my Sherlock Holmes-worthy investigation skills, he managed to surprise me in front of my family and asked me to marry him, which was one of the easiest questions I had to answer, a simple and resounding yes!