Love Story: The Love Connection

This is a story of how I met and connected with my soul mate.

On the first day we met, I joined in a conversation when I heard her talking. I was immediately attracted to her. I sought out to have more conversations with her. We took a break by the back of the building and talked much more in private. I knew she was someone I was going to be connected to right away! I ended up asking her to stay back after work to spend more time chatting with me. She shocked me by staying behind as she worked double shifts that day! We connected right away again that very night as well. We spent the night laughing away and sharing thoughts and feelings. We exchanged email addresses and I wrote to her for the first time that night after work as I so wanted to talk to her again.

In that email, we joked about getting a one bedroom apartment together. Nobody would have thought that we would literally go there one day. I ended up only working there for two weeks! It was more than enough as we remain connected for the rest of our lives. I got fired shortly afterwards and we never worked together again after that night. However, we had already connected and a beautiful relationship was already in motion.

Shortly after that night, we had our first date. What a night! I think I could write a book on it if I had the time! We emailed and chatted online for about a week. I learned that she liked Arabic stuff, so I looked online for an Arabic restaurant to take her to. I wanted to be sure that she knew that I listened to her and that I cared about what she said. I also had to deal with the fact that I needed to tell her I was still married, but separated in mind and spirit. I practiced all day long with my mother and best friend, Marie on how to tell her this. I was sick in my stomach at the thought of losing her if I didn't approach it the right way. I knew what was in my heart and I needed to be sure to convey it correctly to her. The Arabic place turned out nicely and she was surprised when the belly dancer came out and started dancing. Later on, she conveyed to me that belly dancing was also something she was very much into. I think she knew right there and then that I was serious about us and this was not a fly by night relationship.

After the meal, I arranged for us to go to the landing in downtown Jacksonville that night. I wanted to be close to the water as I knew we were both stronger emotionally next to it. We walked around a bit and enjoyed the Christmas decorations in the surroundings. She behaved like a kid in a candy store upon seeing the huge lighted Christmas tree with all the lights and ornaments. I walked with her at the same time thinking about what needed to be discussed. I looked around for a warm quiet place. I remembered telling her I had something to discuss with her and she stared at me dead in the eyes. That actually made the task even harder. Summoning my courage, I told her what needed to be told and naturally, she was shocked.

We continued walking by the water while I gave her time to absorb what I just said. We ended up sitting down in a pavilion next to the water where we continued talking. The talk finished with both of us still feeling connected. After we left the pavilion, I stopped her and gave her a big hug. That was our first true embrace and we almost kissed right there as well. I knew I wanted to but she turned her head before I have a chance to plant my lips. We went to a bench where we watched a light show on the Christmas tree which moves in sync with the music. I moved her so I could massage her shoulders for her. Soon, I had her in my arms on the bench. We finally kissed and it was like nothing I could ever forget. I had kissed many times before but it was pure electricity with her. I was falling in love with her. We broke many rules that night in regards to what we said we were. It was as if our rulebooks in life went out the window! We had both previously agreed that we don't like to kiss on first dates in the first place! My only explanation is that it was meant to be. From that point on, I knew that I was going to have a relationship with this woman.

By JamesWe never stopped talking about that night we met at work. We continued talking Every Single Night ever since then. Sometimes, it goes on for many hours while sometimes it is only for a short moment. However, one thing which we agreed on is that we would never let a night go without somehow connecting. Words cannot describe how connected I feel with her. We feel every single emotion together and every single thought. We don't even have to talk to know what the other person is feeling. It is as if we are twins and are connected in the mind. It really does amaze me in that sense that we are so totally connected in mind and spirit. It has been about three months since that infamous first date and we have not stopped loving each other since then. We are now in the midst of moving out to start a new life together. Who would have known that we would have grown to love each other to this level of understanding and commitment through a simple meeting of minds!

Short Bedtime Stories: When the Wind Blows

Years ago, there was a farmer who owned land along the Atlantic seacoast. He constantly advertised for hired hands. Most people were reluctant to work on farms along the Atlantic. They dreaded the awful storms that raged across the Atlantic, wreaking havoc on the buildings and crops. As the farmer interviewed applicants for the job, he received a steady stream of refusals.

Finally, a short, thin man, well past middle age, approached the farmer.
"Are you a good farmhand?" The farmer asked him.
"Well, I can sleep when the wind blows." Answered the little man.

Although puzzled by the answer, the farmer hired him as he was desperate for help. The little man worked well around the farm and was busy from dawn to dusk. The farmer felt satisfied with the man's work.

One night, the wind howled loudly as a storm approaches from offshore. Jumping out of bed, the farmer grabbed a lantern and rushed to the hired hand's sleeping quarters.

He shook the little man and yelled, "Get up! A storm is coming! Tie things down before they blow away!"
The little man rolled over in bed and said firmly, "No sir. I told you, I can sleep when the wind blows."

Enraged by the response, the farmer was tempted to fire him on the spot. Instead, he hurried outside to prepare for the storm. To his amazement, he discovered that all the haystacks had already been covered with tarpaulins. The cows were in the barn, the chickens were in the coops and the doors were barred. The shutters were tightly secured. Everything was tied down and nothing could be blown away.

The farmer then understood what his hired hand meant. He returned to his bed to also sleep while the wind blew.

Moral - When you're prepared, spiritually, mentally and physically, you have nothing to fear.

Can you sleep when the wind blows through your life? The hired hand in the story was able to sleep because he had secured the farm against the storm.

Boy Story: I Love You Too

Girl: Why doesn’t he like me?

Boy: I'm sure he does...

Girl: I try to be perfect

Boy: He doesn’t need perfect...

Girl: I just want to tell him.

Boy: Yeah, I think you should.

Girl: Okay, I will. Thanks for the help, I'll talk to you later.

Boy: Okay... Bye.

Girl: (Goes home to call boy.)

Boy: (Walks home, disappointed and broken.)

Boy: (Sees answering machine blinking... Pushes play... Girl's voice comes on.)

Girl: I just wanted to tell you... I just thought you should know... 

(Long pause) 

Girl: I love you…

Boy: (Whispers) I love you too....

Boy Stories: A Boy's Greatest Fear

A teacher gave a journal prompt to her seventh grade class asking what their biggest fear was. When the class was done writing, she asked a couple of them to read out what they wrote. Most children that spoke out said they were afraid of being abducted or dying or bugs or stuff like that.

She wanted to hear from someone new and hence, she asked the kid that never speaks at the back of the class to read what he wrote.

He said,

"Sometimes when I lie in bed at night while my father is off fighting fires somewhere, I'm afraid that the floor above him will cave in and I'll never get to see my daddy again.

I'm also afraid when my mom is off bartending late into the night that a man will assault her and she won't be the same mommy I once knew.

I'm also afraid that my baby sister will roll over while she's sleeping and suffocate herself.

I lie in bed thinking about this stuff every night.

That's why I don't get annoyed when my baby sister cries in the middle of the night or when I see headlights in the driveway at twelve o'clock as it means my mom is home late or when my dad calls home at eleven because he forgets to say goodnight to me, my mom and sister.

On top of anything else, that is my biggest fear."

When he finished reading his journal he looked up to see all of his classmates with tears in their eyes.

He smiled and said, "Well... What did you expect?"

Life Story: Never Mind, There's Tomorrow Part 2

One day, disaster struck and his wife was killed in an accident. It was a hit and run accident. On that day, he was in the middle of an important meeting. Failing to understand that it is a fatal accident, he arrived by his wife's deathbed only to see her on the verge of death. Before he could mouth out the words, "I love you", his wife passed away.
The man became despondent and tried to find solace with his children after his wife's death. However, he soon realized that the children did not even try to communicate with him. Soon, his children grew up and found their own families. Nobody cared for this old man who didn't spare his time for them in the past.


He moved into the best old folk's home which provides excellent service with the money he had saved for his fiftieth, sixtieth, and seventieth wedding anniversary celebrations. All the money intended for Hawaii, New Zealand and holidays in various countries went into the fund that pays for his stay in the home.
From that time until his deathbed, there were only old folks and nurses taking care of him. He felt the loneliness that he did not feel before. 
Upon his deathbed, he called a nurse in and said to her, "Ah. If only I had realized this earlier... ", and died with tears on his cheeks.


Time never stops for anybody. Before you realize it, you have gone very far along the path of life. Hence, if you had quarreled with someone, make up quickly! If you feel you need to hear your friend's voice, don't hesitate to pick up the phone. If there are many dreams that you wish to fulfill, fulfill them as soon as possible.
Lastly, but most importantly, if you feel you need to tell somebody that you care, don't wait until it is too late. If you keep thinking you will do it another day, then that day will never come. If you always think that tomorrow will come, then 'tomorrow' will run out quickly and you'll realize that time has already passed by. Treasure tomorrow and don’t live a life of regrets.

Life Story: Never Mind, There's Tomorrow Part 1

Once, there lived a child. He lived in a happy family with parents and siblings. However, he never stopped to think about how wonderful his life had been. He just kept on playing, squabbling with his siblings when they did not want to play what he wanted to play. 

However, whenever he wanted to apologize, he would always say, "Never mind, there's tomorrow."

When he grew up a little, school was a very nice place for him. He learned, made friends and was very happy. However, he never thought that this was happiness to him. It all came so naturally that he felt it should become part of his life. One day, he had a great fight with his best friend. Though he knew he was in the wrong, he never took the initiative to apologize or made up with his best friend. 

His excuse was, "Never mind, I'll do it tomorrow."

When he grew even up some more, that best friend was no longer part of his life. Even though he still sees his friend around, they don't even bother greeting each other. However, that was all right because he still had other good friends. He and his friends did almost everything together including eating, playing, doing homework and fooling around. Yes, they were a bunch of very good friends.

When he graduated, work kept him very busy. He found himself a very pretty and virtuous girlfriend and she soon became his constant companion. He made himself busy with work because he wanted to get promoted to the highest position within the shortest time possible.

Sure, he missed his good friends. He missed them a lot but he never tried keeping in touch with them, not even a telephone call. 

He always said, "Boy, I'm so tired, I'll catch up with them tomorrow." 
It didn't affect him at all because he could find colleagues who are always willing to go pubbing with him. As time passes by, he slowly forgets about his friends.

After he got married with kids, he works even harder in order to bring comfort to his family. He never buys flowers for his wife nor does he remember his wife's birthdays and their wedding anniversaries. It was all right because his wife always understood him and never blamed him. 
He felt guilty at times and wanted very much to have a chance to say to his wife, "I love you", but he never got down to doing it. 

His excuse was, "Never mind, I'll do it tomorrow for sure". 
He never made it to his children's birthday parties but he did not know how it would affect the children. The children began to drift away from him as they never really spend any time with their father.

Real Story: Both Halves of My Heart

With no one special in my life, it was easy to lean on a stranger that I'd hardly known but was somehow sure would be part of my future.

The place was slightly less romantic than a Kate Hudson movie, but what else could a waitress working double shifts at a diner expect. I'd been working at this hole-in-the-wall diner which was adjacent to a gym and a strip joint for three years, with no hope for promotion. My boss and my life sucked and I was on the verge of a psychotic breakdown.

One day, a charming man came into my life. He'd been eating at the diner regularly for about a week before striking up a conversation with me. I was a lonely, desperate and broke waitress covered in burger grease and smelled like pickles. What did this mystery man want with me? After dating for only two months, I fell madly in love with him and we decided to elope in Vegas.

When we arrived in Vegas, we didn't have a witness for the wedding ceremony so we paid a black-jack dealer we met fifty bucks to stand next to us while we read our vows to each other. The black-jack dealer attended our "reception", which was actually a couple of drinks at a bar. The guest-list includes James, the black-jack dealer, Adam, my groom, and me. We got stinking drunk and had the best honeymoon possible.

We stayed married for two years before Adam was diagnosed with terminal cancer. His condition worsened and he had to stop working eventually. I was back to doing double shifts at the crappy diner. I struggled to make ends meet and tried my best to help Adam. I felt the weight of the world on my shoulders and went into a depression. Adam passed away and I attempted suicide but never achieved it.

I was still praying for a miracle but had almost given up on God when I went to work that day and served a cheese-burger with no lettuce and extra ketchup to a very familiar looking man. Never in my wildest dreams would I have guessed that the man eating that burger was James, the black-jack dealer who witnessed my wedding and attended my reception. At first I was furious with God for reminding me of my lost husband when I had finally started to pull myself together again. However, James smiled and offered me a bite of his onion ring as we talked about the past, the present and eventually the future.

Not a day goes by that I don't think about my Adam and the love that we shared. Nevertheless, I will never cease to be amazed by the mysterious plans fate had laid out for me. James and I fell in love. Not a greater love then the one I had before and also not better or worse but different. It is a new love with a shiny silver lining. James is now a lawyer and I swapped my job at the diner for college and a medical degree. He proposed and we're planning a big wedding. Adam might not be there when James and I say our vows but I know he'll be looking down at us as a witness to another amazing love. I hated that diner but it was there that I found both halves of my heart.

By Jesse Gresl