Betty Beguiles is hosting a The Story of How You Became Engaged link-up, click here to read more stories!
Well, I think everyone who knows us, knows how we met. Joshua was in Seminary and I was helping out with a youth retreat there. Our friendship began that cold, snowy weekend in 2003 but the romance did not begin until after he had discerned he was not called to the priesthood and after I had heard God firmly close the door to a religious vocation for me. Let me say clearly, at no point while Joshua was in seminary did I have a thought about him as anything other than a friend and he will say the same thing about me.
In July 2003, I received a phone call from Joshua letting me know that he was leaving the seminary and the order he was in as he had discerned that he was not called to priesthood. My response, vocally, at that time, was something along the line of “Oh, yeah, okay, well, keep in touch”. However, in my heart, deep down, I heard and felt something. That something was that Joshua was now available and we could be more than friends. As I had never had a thought of that before, ever, it scared me and I pushed the thought aside and buried it deep in my heart, but I felt there had been a shift in our friendship. I went about things after that and really forgot about what I had felt and thought. Two weeks later, I was visiting a convent, and it was there that I heard God say that pray as I want, I was not called to be a religious sister. So I headed back to Columbus, knowing that I was called to marriage.
A few weeks later he called to tell me that he was coming to Columbus to pick up things he had left at the seminary and was in need of a place to stay. I hooked him up with my friend Jon which was convenient as Jon lived upstairs from me, so we could all visit. I will tell you that thought I had a few weeks before that was so firmly tucked away, that I had never thought of it while planning his visit, until, I received The Phone Call saying his car broke down and asking if I would I come to get him, and even then only sub-conscientiously. I prayed like I had never had before, in that car ride to get him. (Two rosaries and a Divine Mercy Chaplet, all the while chewing my nails to stubs!) I honestly did not know why I was so darn nervous.
I made it to the service station where he had managed to make it to and found him sleeping in the car. I walked over to him and well, fumbled some words, but I have no recollection what they were. His response was “Don’t ever wake me up again” (in a teasing tone) and my thought was “but what about when we are married?” Yeah, I was pretty freaked out at this point. I prayed that my bubbly, talkative personality would not take over and that I could be meek and quiet the ride home. THEN Joshua started flirting with me. I kid you not. He flirted. I was so darn flustered I could hardly breathe and I hope that my face did not betray my thoughts. We made it back to Columbus and invited a few people over to hang out. It was during that time that Joshua and realized that we needed to talk about something. After everyone left, he professed his love for me. My response was “How can you love me? I can’t cook”. Yeah, smooth. We knew that night, though, that we would be married.
So the actually proposal, I know, that is the point of the post right?
October 18, 2003 at the Adoration Chapel in St. Elizabeth Hospital, Lafayette, Indiana, we had just finished praying the rosary when Joshua reached in to his pocket and took the ring out of the box and asked me to be his wife, forever. I said yes. We held tight to each other as we finished our Holy Hour.
After leaving the chapel, we headed out to find a place to eat and celebrate, but being after 10 pm in Lafayette, our choices were limited. We ended up at White Castles. No, I am not making that up and it was the first time I had ever been there. I said “I have never eaten there before and I am not going to on the night we got engaged”. It was only the beginning of the many times Joshua has forced me to try something new, to expand my horizons and to break out of my shell.
Just under a year later, we were married at St. Boniface Roman Catholic Church in Lafayette, Indiana on October 2, 2004.
Oh I love that. I too considered a vocation to the religious life, and was told quite firmly “no” in prayer. Since this was before I had even met someone, and I felt myself getting ‘old’ .. I did not understand! My proposal was in a chapel too, followed by adoration and fastfood!
What a great story! God certainly led you two to each other!
I currently live in West Lafayette, IN (but only for a few more months), so I was kind of thrown off when I read that part! What a coincidence.
I think your story is so great, especially how God brought you together before both of you even knew you were called to marriage, much less called to marriage together!