Getting Engaged

Michelle and Jeff helped me propose to Lisa this weekend. During a long walk, we "happend" upon a table setup at a Gazebo in a park near where I live in Chicago. It was an amazing thing! The ring was under a covered dish, which she discovered so that I proposed. She had no idea it was coming! Afterward, we went back to Lisa's house and a host of our friends were waiting to surprise Lisa with congratulations. It was cool. It's now Tuesday, and I'm still exhausted. :) Here are a couple nuggets I got from engagement that I didn't anticipate in the weeks of plotting and planning and praying: 1. Relief On two levels. First, that the work of the engagement was over and had gone well. I drew a lot more stress than I imagined out of hoping that things would go just right. Secondly, in that for a week I was telling "double-truths" (basically lying) to Lisa about what I was doing in preparation for Saturday and I couldn't even share with her the neatest parts of my days. That was really hard. 2. More reality of community It's amazing to watch community work. I had so much fun working with Jeff and Meesch (Michelle) and then being with some of our friends afterward. I have often thought in observation of my friends how much marriage is not just two people alone, but it's well-rounded community and that was fully expressed to me in the process this weekend. Our engagement was awesome when we were alone, but it wasn't fully real until we were in fellowship with those who had been integral pieces in our engagement process these last months. 3. Just fun Proposing was at the same time pure romance and tactical complexity. It was like Dr. Ruth paintballing or something. I got to enjoy doing what I thought would most meet Lisa's desires in being proposed to, but also coordinate with Michelle and Jeff running around. Fun stuff.