I suppose “Will you marry me?” would have sufficed, but I wanted to say something profound, romantic, even holy, and now my mind went blank. All four of our combined knees were on the floor.) Then came the biggest planning problem: what to say. (I hadn’t thought through the whole knee situation. When I finally approached Aimee, who was patiently, and by then maybe knowingly, kneeling in front of the Eucharist, I got down on both knees myself. He finally grasped my intent, shot me a broad smile, and ducked out. He didn’t fully hear my whispered plea and demanded loudly, “What? Leave? Why?” I tried to silently gesture again and keep him from blowing the surprise. Not wanting an audience, I approached him and quietly asked if he would step out so I could propose. Second, I saw a man praying in the corner I had forgotten there must always be someone in Adoration to pray and watch with Jesus. Thérèse! Nice! The sight of the Little Flower’s trademark symbol immediately gave me the sense that she was with us. When I joined her with the ring now concealed in my palm, I immediately noticed two things: first, I saw a red rose laid out beneath the monstrance where Jesus was exposed in the Eucharist. Help me out!Īmused, Aimee headed into the chapel. When we arrived, I made a bad excuse to retrieve the ring from the trunk: “I need to get my chapstick,” I mumbled. “Now?” she asked, but then she saw my sweaty and shaky hands on the steering wheel. That wouldn’t have been so unusual, except that it was now almost midnight, and we had been driving for eight hours. As we got closer and closer to our destination, I finally turned toward a parish that I knew had an adoration chapel, woke Aimee, and tried to ask casually if she wanted to stop in. Of course, the long interstate between Dallas and New Orleans doesn’t have chapels just tucked into truck stops, so I began plotting how to make a long, late drive end at a Catholic church. Of all the demonstrations of love I could plan, of all the beautiful places I could imagine to propose, a chapel where Jesus was present and enthroned seemed supreme. Adoration chapels are quiet, still, and usually quite small, all characteristics that build a sense of intimacy and enclosure from the outside world. ![]() Inside, the consecrated host-the Real Presence of Jesus-is displayed in a gold vessel (called a monstrance) set upon a small altar. Perpetual adoration chapels, often located on the property of a Catholic parish, are open twenty-four hours every day. I knew only that I wanted to propose in an adoration chapel where Jesus would be present with us–a sacramental instinct. I had made no elaborate plan with sky writing or violins or a hot air balloon ride I had simply been waiting for the right moment and carrying the ring close so I’d be prepared whenever that moment arose. Help me be confident, smooth, and … well … successful! The engagement ring, as it had been for weeks, was with me. You’re my wing-nun, help me out, I asked this 19th-century French Carmelite. Thérèse of Lisieux had been my go-to intercessor and spiritual role model that night, I consulted her yet again. Aimee had fallen asleep in the passenger seat, and as the highway zipped by, I prayed silently and solidified my decision. We were halfway through an eight-hour car ride when I decided tonight was the night I would propose.
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