The end of November (28th), Aaron Danielson asked my daughter Marie to marry him. The next day, she was surprised by Stan's and my delighted reaction to the news. We had observed Aaron in groups at our home on numerous occasions and more importantly watched Marie's opinion of Aaron develop based on his behavior in numerous social settings, church and institute attendance. Like many other people, we thought they should date a long time before they actually did, based on their obvious attraction and similarity of goals. It seemed so natural that they would fall in love and want to devote themselves to each other in a marriage. However, watching a couple form a family is both exciting and alarming. So much is at stake when it comes to the happiness of the future family. That happiness is also out of everyone's control except the two individuals.
One night as they were talking about how they made their decision, the conversation was lighthearted and giddy. I stopped in my tracks with the piercing reality that I really didn't know very much about this young man. Questioning them as I did about the wisdom of leaping into such an important decision, Aaron reassured me that he had thought long and hard about it and this was what he wanted and the Lord was okay with it too. His eyes focused on my face responding to my challenge with a demeanor calm and convincing. Marie merely laughed quietly to herself while snuggled in his arms. I surrendered, feeling a deep love for both of them.
The Christmas season came quickly. I found myself frequently reflecting on the lyrics in "Winter Wonderland"; "To face unafraid the plans that we made..." There they were right in front of me forming a family with two little boys in tow. Aaron was patient. He waited for his relationship to develop at the boys' speed. Marie let down boundaries, gradually allowing Aaron more access to their hearts as like all children, they melted into the security of one more adult's love. Together, they bonded to each other while talking out their future, voicing concerns and quelling tides of doubt through maintaining their relationship with Heavenly Father. They struggled, laughed, relaxed, tensed up, and moved forward, molding their affiliation into a problem solving union called a couple, a pair or beloved.
It takes such a leap of faith to trust anyone with your life's happiness let alone the happiness of your children. To face "unafraid" is reflected clearly in a quote from Bishop Richard C. Edgely listed as one of Marie's Facebook posts: "I say choose faith. Choose faith over doubt, choose faith over fear, choose faith over the unknown and the unseen and choose faith over pessimism. :)" And she ends her post with a smiley face.
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