What He Did for Love

My son JJ was never a big fan of delayed gratification.

It all began on the day he was born 15 days before my due date. The doctor explained to us that "this baby is coming out whether your body is ready or not."

This general impatience continued even after he was born.  "Waiting is what I hate," my little boy would solemnly proclaim, anytime he had to wait in a line, or wait for a show to begin or wait for a holiday or his birthday to arrive. No one who ever stood in a line with JJ doubted that this was true as he practically elevated fidgeting into an art form -his own version of an interpretive dance.

Now that he's all grown up, he waits in line more easily, but he still doesn't enjoy it.

So it came as no surprise to me that when he finally found the right one (after an agonizing wait) that it didn't take his lovely lady and he long to figure it out.  Within a few weeks they were officially "in a relationship" - on Facebook- so you knew it was for real.  You don't announce a thing like that to 700 of your closest Friends unless you're serious.

When we met her just a few weeks later we understood why J.J. fell in love with her so quickly.  She is brilliant, vibrant, funny, loving and full of life.  Most importantly she is perfect for him - we can just see it in the way they are when they are together.  Of course we would have loved anyone who made him as happy as she does, but we are crazy about her anyway.

This past June, about a year after they started dating I got a cryptic message from JJ asking me to meet him for dinner.  I was thrilled when he showed me the beautiful ring and told me that he loved his girlfriend, he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her and he was planning to ask her to marry him...on September 28th.

September 28th??  He was waiting for three months?  Why, I asked.  He explained that September 28th was a day that had special significance to his girlfriend, and he knew that a proposal on that day would be very special to her.

I felt it was my duty as his mother to remind him that waiting is what he hated.  "Do you think you'll be able to hold off that long?"

"If it makes her happy, I can wait that long."  he said, simply.  "I can do whatever it takes to make her happy."

Did I mention that JJ grew up to be a terrific man?   I already knew how much he loved his girlfriend, but he loved her more than he hated waiting.  I swelled with pride.

It wasn't easy but he waited. He planned a very special date for the proposal, and most importantly, she said yes.  Sometime good things really are worth the wait.