Miserable

27

Is it bad to say that everything happened so fast?

Tyron got caught and was sentenced to quite a few years in jail. James got a note that he could go back to his stardom but he's still under probation. Not for the supposed stolen items but for joining a criminal's plan.

Tasha and her younger brother had indeed testified against Tyron and are now helping James in his Comeback Tour.

Troy and I spend more time together, especially since he'd been in the hospital for two weeks.

Mom and her besties spend more time together while Jade's dad teaches Jade and I football with the help of Troy and Rich, and also acts as the dad for all of us.

Basically, in this new year, things are getting better. Maybe last year wasn't the best year, but one chapter doesn't define the whole book.

God has proven His faithfulness to us. It's been so hard without my dad, and so painful to go through a heartbreak. But God was with me. And I'm glad I've come to know this.

Today, we're going to have a picnic for dinner in one of the Japanese parks. Cherry blossoms only bloom once a year and they only last for about a week. It's predicted that they'd bloom within this week, so we decided to have a picnic today.

We've been here in Tokyo for two days already.

"Joy? You ready?"

I hear Rich's voice from the hallway.

I look over and Jade and she nods.

I open the door and see mom, Rich, Troy and his family, as well as Jade's parens, all ready to go.

We head downstairs and take a train to our destination.

Once there, we find a place where we can eat lunch. The adults and Chelsea stay and prepare the food while Troy, Jade, Rich, Claire and I take a canoe ride on the river.

I take pictures as we float by the blooming cherry blossoms along the riverbank.

"It's beautiful." Claire says.

I turn to smile at her. "Yes, they are."

I look at the canoe behind us holding Rich, Jade, and Claire.

Jade's smiling really wide, and I turn back to look at the guy in front of me.

Troy's stopped rowing and is smiling really wide.

I look at his hands and see that he's holding something.

"Troy, what are you-"

He grabs my left hand and holds it in his.

"I've been praying about this for a while. And the other day, before reading the Bible, I started praying again. This time, as I opened the Bible, it opened up to Proverbs 31. I read through what a godly woman should be. And once I was done, I saw a name written out on the wall. I touched it but there was no ink. It was like a vision. I asked God what it meant and He said that you'll be with me."

I gasp when the realization hits in.

He slips a ring onto my finger.

"I'm not proposing to you. Not yet at least, since we're still young. But I am giving you this purity ring. A reminder that I am yours and you are mine and that this is what God has ordained. I do love you Joy. And I can't wait to go through the next few days, and following years, finding more reasons to fall in love with you again. God has a great plan for us. And no matter what happens, I want us to remember that. Especially with this ring as a reminder." He says, kissing my hand.

I'm so in shock that I don't realize the daylight slowly disappearing. Once I do, I look around and see that aside from Troy holding my hand, lanterns have been lighted and are floating alongside us.

"Cherry blossoms at each side and lanterns around us? Did you plan for this to happen?" I ask.

Troy shrugs shyly. "You deserve so much more than flowers and lights. You are my beautiful flower and a radiant light in my life."

I feel myself blushing.

"And I'm glad that you've been seeking God. We wouldn't be where we are without Him."

As we drift along the river, I feel peace, joy, contentment, and all the fruit of the Spirit just fill me.

When you find God, you find love. When you find love, you find joy. And when you find joy, you forget about all things miserable.