2 years ago today, on January 10, 2009, after only 60 days of knowing Erin O’Neil I proposed to her. I bought the ring the night before, and couldn’t hold it very long, but a truck stop didn’t seem like the right place to propose.
So when she came to visit me on January 10, 2009, I made sure I would be able to do it. We went to Easton mall to just walk around together and I took her to Ocean Watch or something like that for seafood. I kept pretending there might be an engagement ring hidden in every piece of bread or dish. This entertained her slightly, but I think annoyed her more.
Ultimately, I pulled out the ring and asked and she said yes. 4 weeks later we were married!
The point of this post is to share that I wouldn’t do anything different. After almost 2 years of knowing each other (better and better), I love her more and more each day. There is no one who I want to be around as much, or who I miss as much when we are not together. I am so grateful for her loving care of our daughter and my two kids who are now her stepchildren. I could not do the evangelism or service I do without her, nor my regular occupation.
If I had known how much of a failure I’d be at being as good a husband as I would’ve once promised, I might have been more cautious. But my faith is that Christ has already forgiven me and can make me better each day, and each year. I love every part of my wife, even the imperfect parts; and I’m grateful she shares her struggles with me. Neither of us is perfect, but as we grow together, some of the past imperfections have faded. I trust the same will be true of the present ones and the as-of-yet-unnoticed character faults in each of us.
She is more beautiful than she was the day I met her, and I cannot imagine life without her.
Michael Coughlin