I met Rose about 18 months ago when she was a barista at my favorite Starbucks. Our customer/employee relationship soon turned into a friendship even with an age difference of 15 years. She became my hip younger sister who introduced this old lady to texting, my housesitter, dog sitter, movie watching companion and friend. Last fall when I went back to work, and she went back to school, our time together was less frequent. In late October I got a call saying, "we need to get together. Soon." I knew immediately. I called back and asked, "is it about a boy?" BINGO!

About a month later I finally met him and knew in an instant this guy was the real deal. He courted her with the kind of love and respect she had given up on ever thinking could happen in her lifetime. He did and said the kinds of things over the last year that made others say "Really? No way. This guy sounds too good to be true. Guys like this don't exist anymore" It was true and he does exist.

When I met Rose she was in a place of really seeking God and growing in her relationship with Him. She had a difficult childhood and never knew the stability of a traditional family. Change, upheaval and moving were the only constants she could count on. No more. God was about to redeem it all and I got to be part of it in a teeny tiny way.

Fast forward to July 3rd. Rose was housesitting for my neighbor and stopped by to ask a favor. Kurtis wanted to take her on a backcountry hike and she wasn't sure if she'd be back to water the lawn and feed the bunny. Would I mind doing that in her absence? Little did I know what that simple act was about to help Kurtis' plan. I checked in with Rose on the 4th to see if they were back and how the trip went. Her response: "AMAZING!!!" Uh-oh. She promised to stop by when she got back in town. When she walked in the house my eyes immediately went to her left hand and there it was. It wasn't just any old ring on her finger but the same one that adorned both his grandmother's and mother's hands. His grandmother got an anniversary upgrade just before his dad proposed to his mom. So his mom received this ring when she nd Kurtis' dad became engaged. The same thing happened when Kurtis' parents hit a significant anniversary. When Kurtis told his parents he planned to ask Rose to be his wife, they asked him if he would give her "the ring" as a symbol that she belongs in their family. Ahhh. Doesn't that just give you chills or tears? Or both?

Of course there are about a hundred other parts to the story as well but those are theirs to tell. I don't care what Fergie sings about, fairytales do sometimes have happy endings. There was no denying that today.

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