Hope

This is what I call a positive thinker. 
We saw this in a sidewalk on one of our excursions around our new state and it struck me so much that, obviously, I stopped to take a photograph of it.  I've no idea who did this, but think about it.  He had this plan.  There was a girl he wanted to propose to and he wanted to make the proposal memorable.  In this case, not merely memorable but in a way that is very public and very permanent.  This was not a man afraid of rejection.  This man was willing to take a chance that was literally etched in stone.
I imagine the day.  He was probably very nervous.  He took her for a walk. Maybe out to dinner.  Had to park the car in such a way that she had to be positioned to see it.  He would then need to, in some way, call her attention to this bit of sidewalk.  Did he drop something so that she would look down in a natural way?  Or did he just stop and point with a nervous smile? I'm sure she was surprised and flattered. There were probably other people around. I wonder if they stopped and smiled at the proceedings. I hope so.
I hope she said yes.  I hope he was traditional enough to drop to one knee and offer her his heart, his life and a ring. Maybe a modest one, after all the money he spend on this proposal.  She probably cried at least a little when he put the ring on her finger, they kissed and embraced.  People around them should have applauded and wished them well. I hope they did.  Maybe he even invited friends and family to be in the vicinity and they were some of the witnesses to this romantic moment. I hope they were there so she could show off her new ring and tell them that she was so surprised.
They probably did continue on to dinner where the restaurant also learned of the newly hatched relationship status. Maybe the waiter or waitress also congratulated them. Maybe the restaurant comped them a dessert in celebration too. I hope so.
And then they began planning their wedding. I'm sure it was beautiful. Oh I'm certain that there were a few moments that were less than ideal. Maybe a relative or two that caused some problems. Maybe his dad and her mom had wildly different ideas. But I hope in the end, everyone managed to work things out. After all there was a  bigger picture. It was all about the new fiance's and their future. Maybe it was a small gathering,  maybe a huge one, but I'm sure it was a beautiful, meaningful ceremony with a full on party to celebrate later. I surely do hope so.
And then they went on to live happily ever after. Well mostly.  Life is not a fairytale after all.  I'm sure there were moments where they were annoyed with each other or even angry with each other. But I hope that love won out in the end, and they forgave and remembered what they loved about each other and why they came together in the first place.  They might have bought a cute little house and fixed it up. They probably didn't agree on every idea, but they worked it out.  Odds are good that they had a couple of kids too. They probably had arguments about the name selection and how to raise the kids too. Parents usually do. But that got worked out.  They learned how to compromise. I hope they did.
As the kids grew up, they had to learn how to be a couple who stayed together instead of one that fell apart. It's a full time job keeping a relationship successful and I hope that they were one of the successful ones.  I'm sure they learned the meaning of those words that they said, "In sickness and in health, good times and bad, richer or poorer.." .  And they used those hard time to bring them together even closer. At least I hope they did.
As I said, I have no idea who it was that had those words carved in a piece of sidewalk to propose to the woman he loved, but he was surely one of the most hopeful people I've ever been aware of.
Hope is something we all need sometimes.  It's a very positive feeling, a little nerve wracking maybe, but positive. It's when you decide that no matter what happens, I'm choosing to believe in the best outcome possible.
I think we could all use a little Hope sometimes.