God bless

Yesterday I was next door visiting my mother's neighbors. Mr. and Mrs. G are in their mid-eighties and Mrs. G cares for her garden and chauffeurs her husband to and from doctors' appointments. Mr. G has a strong Nicaraguan accent has always been the patriarch in their devoutly Catholic family. Part of my annual routine is to visit them and see pictures of their numerous grandchildren and hear about what everyone is doing these days.

Mr. and Mrs. G and I had just settled down at the dining room table with iced lemonade, when the telephone rang.

"It's our granddaughter's boyfriend. He wants to speak with both of us. I'll go get on the extension. We'll just be a minute."

Mrs. G hurried off to the bedroom telephone. Mr. G shuffled to the dining room phone. I sipped my lemonade and inadvertently eavesdropped.

"Yes.... Yes.... Oh, how nice.... I am very happy.... Of course.... We welcome you to our family.... That is wonderful.... Please let us know....."

Pretty soon Mr. and Mrs. G were back with me in the dining room.

"That was our grand daughter's boyfriend. He wanted to get permission from Eli (Mr. G) to propose today. He is such a nice boy. We have been waiting for them to make an announcement. Isn't that nice that he would call us first."

Mr. G was just beaming.

"Oh! Then your grand daughter hasn't been asked yet? You know what is coming before she does. That really is exciting. Tonight will be the big night then?"

But not more than a half an hour later (Mr. and Mrs. G and I were still drinking lemonade and I was still looking at grandchildren's pictures) when the phone rang again.

"Yes? Yes! Isn't that wonderful! Congratulations! We are so happy for you both.... He is a wonderful young man..... You will be beautiful... Keep us informed about the wedding plans..... God bless you both."

The young man proposed within minutes of getting the grandfather's permission! Isn't that a courtly and romantic thing to do?

I felt blessed to be on the sidelines.

(Pictures from Mrs. G's rose garden.)