We’ve all the had those moments when the phone rings with news that changes our world…

I had the house to myself and was relishing the quiet one Thursday evening when our home phone rang,  jarring me from my peaceful reverie and sending my thoughts into instant high-gear.  The home phone seldom rings in this cellular age, but when it does, it’s either a telemarketer or bad news from afar.  My husband was assisting at the local community theater where he serves on the board, and I had recently talked to my daughter, who could practically taste her approaching Spring Break from her demanding teaching position.  The wild card was my 25-year-old son, David.  He was at a Spring Break conference with  a group of close to 100 university students at Hume Lake Christian Camp and had been out of cell range since the previous Sunday.   My heart pounded as I observed that the incoming phone call was from the camp’s main telephone number, the one used only for emergencies.

I braced myself as I answered, expecting to hear a somber voice informing me of a injury, but was surprised to hear David’s voice on the other end, and he sounded downright…giddy.  He’d never sounded this excited on the phone before and I understood the reason as the words came spilling out, “Mom, this afternoon I asked Mariana to marry me, and she said, ‘Yes!’  Tears sprang to my eyes as we rejoiced together.  It would be a short engagement, less than 4 months, so they could get married before another year of college ministry began, so we immediately started making plans.

As I hung up the phone, I reflected back to the day I first held him in my arms, so tiny and helpless.   He’s grown up to be a strong and admirable man, and I can’t wait to watch as he becomes a wonderful husband to Mariana.