The day was April 18th, 2019. It was Maundy Thursday, the Thursday before Easter.
My high school conducted an early dismissal the day before each holiday break throughout the school year. This meant that I had a half a day of school on this Thursday in April before my short Easter break began.
Brady went to a different high school than me, but to celebrate Easter early with me, he decided to pick me up at my school once classes ended at 11:00. He told me the night prior that he wanted to show me the Easter decorations at Jumonville (the camp and retreat center).
He picked me up, and since we were both hungry, we decided to go to Vinny’s Drive In for lunch. For those of you who aren’t familiar, Vinny’s is a small restaurant where you order and pick up your food at the window; it’s like an ice cream stand on steroids.
After Vinny’s, we hopped in his beloved Nissan Skyline and we made our way to Jumonville to see these “Easter decorations” (there were none, by the way). We took our time and slowly walked up the hill to the cross, I was expecting to see some beautiful flowers for Easter once we reached the top, but instead I saw a photographer from Brady’s church snapping some photos of her daughter by the cross.
I quickly put the pieces together and realized what was about to happen. But, I played cool, and I acted clueless. I followed Brady to a spot near the cross, and he said this…
“I’ve been coming to this camp my whole life, and there have been many nights where I have prayed in this spot. This is the place I feel closest to God, and I know God has brought us together. You mean the world to me, Mollie, and I can’t imagine spending my life with anyone else.”
With tears in his eyes, he pulled out a ring from his pocket, and got down on one knee.
“Mollie Mae Landman, will you marry me?”
I quickly said “Yes,” and wrapped my arms around my new fiancé. Thankfully, the photographer was able to capture all of these previous moments.
This was one year ago, today. My heart is filled with the joy from that afternoon. The couple on the mountain that day had dreams for a lifetime of love with each other. While our time together was certainly cut short, the love we share is truly timeless and lives on.
Photo: Amy Craig Photography