THIS WAS MY VOW to Marty that Christmas afternoon:

“Marty, my mother used to say, ‘Never get greedy with God.’ I think what she meant was ‘Don’t dare ask for more if you already have what you need.’

“I’ve thought about this a lot. Life has been generous to me. I’ve been given a wonderful family, as you can see here today. I had Peter for many wonderful years. I have my health. And this farm. And now I have you. Yay.

“Marty, when you and I talked about getting married, I wondered, ‘Am I getting greedy with God?’ And I thought about it, and then I decided, if you’re given a blessing and you refuse it, that’s just as wrong as asking for something you don’t deserve. It’s also a little dumb, in my humble opinion.

“I love you so much, Marty. I’m so incredibly happy today.”

And then Marty said:

“Gaby, I have lived more than half my life. I don’t want to waste another minute. I want to be with you. Let’s get married.”

“Let’s get married, Marty.”