We're engaged - not really, but sort of!

After he handed me the ring and took me home, I was a bit dazed.  I walked into the house.  My parents were in Arizona at the time visiting my Uncle Rocky and Aunt Mary and my favorite cousins EVER! (Debbie Fisher).  My sister Donna was "in charge."  It was late, maybe around 11:00 pm and Donna was in bed.  I went to her room, knocked on the door and went in.  The room was pitch black dark and I said "Donna, wake up...he gave me his school ring!"  She sat up, grabbed my hand and said "YOU'RE ENGAGED?, wait until I tell mom and dad."  And tell my parents she did.  The next day when they called to check in, Donna ran to the phone and said "Suzanne got engaged last night."  I was shouting from the background trying to explain but it was already too late.  I could hear my mother screaming into the phone (and not in a good, I'm-so-excited-for-her way!).  I finally had my chance to talk and I think the shock wore off of her by the time she came home three days later!  Mark was on top of the world.  If you could see a 250 pound man with duck-feet skip, he would have.  He was just all smiles.  It was flattering to be so admired and googled over (that word, googled, was not a search engine back then, but probably, Mark gave them the idea for the name because he literally did not take his eyes off of me when I was in a room... he was flat-out, over the top, googlie-eyed for me!)  The next time we went out, I joked when I told him that Donna said we were "engaged" and he said "If there was anyone in the world that I would marry at this moment, it would be you."  He reached out and took my hand and just squeezed it two times.  I squeezed his hand twice in return.  He smiled and that became our "signature hand hold."  Every walk, every movie, every ride in the car, every time he was in the doctor's office or hospital having a test, we would hold hands like that.  As his last days approached and he was in the hospital, I held his hand.  Day after day I squeezed it twice and waited for him to respond, but he slept.  I realized that he was comfortable for the first time in over 12 years.  He was not in pain anymore.  He was zonked out comfortable.  I realized that the day was here that the memories, the love, and the promise from God was what I would hold onto.  I realized that nobody could walk this heart-wrenching journey alone.  Jesus held onto me, my husband and the kids and will continue to embrace us every step of this transition.  Mark is running to His arms right now and I don't even think he has duck feet anymore!    I have lots more stories so I hope I didn't make you too sad...(I'm sad enough for all of us combined)... but for Mark, this is a happy ending. The rest of us who know Jesus are just waiting patiently to see him again.