The Wedding Proposal ( John's Version )

My mind was eager with anticipation as I waited at the boarding gate for my flight to Manila. Eager to forget about my thesis, having worked at it for 10 months and having just defended it a few days before. Eager to spend the coming weeks in warm ‘Pinas than freezing Japan. Eager to be with the food, places and people I love. SO EAGER, to be with my loving fiancée, so that I can finally propose to her. I understand if you read that last sentence several times…although we already did the “preliminary” pamamanhikan in December (with another one set a week before the wedding when my Dad and brother arrive from abroad), I really wanted to give my Day a formal proposal. I told myself a long time ago that my proposal would be as uniquely romantic as those I’ve watched in countless “rom-com” movies, and my mind was paralyzed with exciting options. If Cebu Pacific delivers on its promise to bring me back to Manila on time, I had 4 hours to write what I wanted to say. Where and When I would propose were set…now I have to figure out the What.

I asked the Lord for the right words, for His love to be evident in the things I wished to share with my future wife. I earlier asked the flight attendant for a piece of paper, but as she passed and handed over the Philippine Customs Declaration, I decided to write on its vacant spaces. What do you know, my “script” in declaring my intent and request for a lifetime together (something that would meet Philippine customs) was going to be scribbled in an actual declaration form =)

I expounded on each word of the proposal phrase “Will you marry me?”, and I came up with a dictionary definition, an acronym in Tagalog and English, and a statement of intent that uses key words in the earlier dictionary definition. Since I just confused you as you read that (hehehe), allow me to just share what I wrote:

WILL
Definition: (noun) “one’s consciousness to choose freely”
English acronym: refers to a Wonderful Initiation to Lasting Love
Tagalog acronym: sa isang Wagas na Institusyon ni Lord sa Lupa
Statement of intent: Day, I’ve freely chosen you…to be the first I see…Everytime I regain consciousness.

YOU
Definition: (pronoun) “in a pair of people, the significant person other than you”
English acronym: refers to the Yearned for Owner of my Utmost
Tagalog acronym: Yaong One and Unly (sorry hehehe)
Statement of intent: Mommy, you’re the person I yearn to be my significant other =)

MARRY
Definition: (verb) “through the might of law and faith, to bond one’s self to another for a lifetime of enduring, exhilarating love”
English acronym: Mutual Acceptance, Respect and Romantic Yumminess
Tagalog acronym: Marubdob na Aruga at Respeto na Rumirikit at Yumayabong
Statement of intent: I’ve decided to mighty bond myself to a lifetime of love.

ME
Definition: (pronoun) “in a pair of people, the person who bears your name”
English acronym: Mister Endearing, with Meticulous Effort, now Meekly Enjoins you to a Meaningful Existence
Statement of intent: Day, you’re the woman who I want to bear my name and my daughter, to bear with me life’s tests and triumphs, to bear with my corny jokes…and my relentless love. =)

God was very gracious to provide all the words half-way through my flight! Praise God! This gave me the chance to conceptualize how I would execute the actual proposal. The funny thing is, Day already knew about my impending proposal, because she would be fetching me at the airport. What she didn’t know was HOW I would do it =). I only had a short time period to set everything up before we met again later in the day for the actual momentous event. After choosing the Ecuadorian roses, I ran to National Bookstore to pick materials, then sat in a corner table in Max’s for a few hours to put it all together (special thanks to the service crew who graciously allowed me to work on my heART project!).

As Day sat at our special table in this secret-romantic-place-somewhere-in-Manila, I gave the rose holder (with the rose inserted and message tags attached) for the word WILL first, and just let her carefully read…and widely smile…and tightly hug…and happily cry. It’s impossible to describe the joy I felt as I watched her receive the rose holders for YOU and MARRY, seeing her go through the read-smile-hug-cry cycle with increasing emotion. As she completed reading the message tags for the ME rose holder, I nervously reached for my back pocket to retrieve the small holder of our engagement rings…and knelt down. And listened to the most loving “yes” that trumps every other yes uttered in a man’s life!

We joyfully held each other for a long time.

By God’s grace, we intend to joyfully hold each other for a very long time =)