It’s anniversary week…if you didn’t get a chance to read how my husband and I met check out yesterday’s post.
It happened Sunday, August 6, 2006. Jessica had just gotten back from a week in Tacoma, Washington at the Jesus Ministry Conference. She was feeling free and alive, quite the Esther. A whole week without Joe allowed for a greater move of God in her life, but she was glad to see him again.
To fully understand the beauty and magnitude of this day there are some things you have to understand:
- From the beginning both Joe and Jess were purposeful in their intentions. They were here to see if this was where God wanted them.
- At the start of their relationship, Joe had told Jessica if he hadn’t proposed by December (within a year), she was completely free to go.
- Those three words, “I love you,” had never been said. Joe would only say them when he proposed. And, yes, there were lots of conversations about “the words.” For Jessica, “I like you…a lot” didn’t seem to hold nearly the same meaning even if Joe inferred that he felt it.
- “Beautiful” was another word Joe had decided not to say until he proposed. To him the word itself was a commitment. And, as with “I love you,” “pretty” didn’t seem to hold the same affect.
With this as our background, we can return to the story.
Sunday started off as any other Sunday. They went to church and then to lunch and back to Joe’s house. There they spent some time reading Let the Nations Be Glad (by John Piper) and decided to have their time of singing worship at Hilltop Park. Joe said he wanted to change into nicer pants, since Jessica was dressed nicely. He ended up staying dressed as he was.
It was a calm and refreshing day at Hilltop Park. At Hilltop Park, Joe and Jessica have a bench that is “their” bench and as they were walking toward it they noticed someone was already sitting there. It just happened to be there friend Ann. They started talking to Ann and she mentioned she was getting up to leave and the bench would be open. So they sat.
Joe opened up his guitar case and mentioned he was nervous about playing at the park where people were walking by and that he wanted to pray. So he began to pray, but he lead into something different. It was the tune to a song that Jessica knew well, but with that one word. “Beautiful.” Jessica knew what was happening.
Joe was singing a version of James Blunt’s song “Beautiful” with lyrics of his own. After he finished singing he took Jessica’s hands in his own and began to share his heart with her—how he found her to be beautiful, loved her, and wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. He spoke of how he was calling her to “arise, and come along,” that they would begin forging their own life together, their own family. And then, he asked her to “Arise, and come…”
He lead her to the edge of the cliff and pointed to the field below, and there she saw it—the question “Will you marry me?” was written in paper plates and with the plates were friends and family. Joe got down on one knee and said, “Jess, will you marry me?”
Her answer?
“Yes!”
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Wow! I didn’t know any of your story. Thanks for sharing!
awwww…this brings tears to my eyes every time I hear it (or in this case, read it)! you are so loved and blessed with such a wonderful man! thank you for sharing this!
That is too cute!!!