"even when we had little, we were never poor"

and that pretty much sums up what i saw last evening at dinner with her folks, namely her mom who is the center of her world, who shaped that wonderful soul i have come to love deeply.

in her mom's eyes i saw the same kindness and generous heart, in her relationship with her partner i saw the familiar way she loves, and in their lives i saw a heartwarming future of what we can and will be.

all i know is i have been gifted with the best sum of her parts -- her grounded upbringing, her strength of work experiences, her calmness in her faith. to be in a relationship with such an individual is surely a once-in-a-lifetime blessing. and to commit an eternity with someone like that is surely a foregone conclusion.