Moment in Time
My son and his girlfriend have been dating for five years, and recently put an offer in on a house, and I knew the next step would be engagement. Whenever I get the chance to have one on one time with my son, we always have good conversations. Several months ago he mentioned his goal in their relationship was to buy a house first, and a ring second, however her goal was the ring first and house second.
Since the offer was accepted on the house, I knew it was a matter of time before he would propose. In one of our chats he mentioned he would be popping the question on their yearly camping trip to the boundary waters, and had asked if I would go with him to pick out the ring. I was touched and humbled as he wanted to share his special moment with me. I had secretly wished he would ask me to help.
We made our plan, as well as a fake story to tell his girlfriend on his suddenly full Saturday. The jewelry store was about an hour away and neither one of us were familiar with the area. He wanted to stop and take me to lunch prior to locating the store. We had a nice meal, and talked about what he thought she might like. Basically, he didn’t have much to go on, but wanted it to be a surprise.
Upon arrival, we were assigned a jeweler that would help us find the perfect ring. The gentleman was touched that Andrew had asked me to help in the process; as I secretly beamed. He had me try on the different styles to compare the sparkle and beauty. After serious contemplation, found the setting and just needed to decide on the middle stone. My son took his time to examine each diamond as they were presented one by one. In the end we both chose the same setting and stone; it was unanimous.
As the jeweler was completing the sale, my son’s debit card wouldn’t go through…..WHAT? Realizing he should have called his bank to inform them he would be making a big purchase, and now couldn’t get anyone on the line. He could put through his card up to his daily withdrawal but that wasn’t enough. I offered to put the remainder of the amount through my account. The one problem the jeweler said it had to be all in Andrew’s name and I would have to go get the cash. Ummm….OK, “let’s find an ATM.” Away we went in search of a bank, after locating and taking out the remainder, and ran back to the store. We didn’t have much time to pay, and wait for the stone to be set before the store closed for the day.
Once everything was paid we had an hour to wait for the ring, and decided to find a place to have a drink and toast to the pending proposal. We found an establishment close by, however Andrew didn’t have any cash and no longer had the option to use his debit card, nor did I…LOL. I did have some cash so it was my treat. While we were celebrating, all of a sudden he panicked because he realized he was taking his girlfriend out for sushi later that evening, and couldn’t use his card. How would he explain that? Amazingly enough, I had just about enough cash to cover the dinner, his plan would not be foiled.
After a bit, we headed back to pick us his beautiful ring that symbolizes the life the two of them will share together. I’m so touched and happy I was part of one of the most important decisions of his life. This moment in time I spent with my precious son, will be with my heart always. Wishing them a lifetime of love, happiness, understanding, and grace.
xoxox…..Sheryl