A serious proposal.

I proposed to Rachel nine days after that Tuesday morning. During those nine days I often thought, "Whoa, my life has started moving very quickly lately." I'd pause to review, but never doubted or got cold feet.

When I stopped trying to predict the future by asking questions I couldn't answer like "Will it work out?", "Will I be a good father?", "Will we be happy?" or "Will we end in divorce?" and instead asked myself answerable questions like "Do we want it to work?", "Do we love one another?", "Do we recognize our similarities and differences, and are we willing to make healthy compromises and sacrifices to work them out?" and "Do we grow together?", the answer to my ultimate question was as clear and unobstructed as the diamond.

She's the most important thing in my life, finally replacing what she had wanted to for so long - my career. Now, it served us and the family we'd hopefully have someday.

I was late in asking Rachel to marry me, but the crucial question was am I merely late or too late?