When we’re little, we might fantasize about the magic of falling in love when a prince or princess might come into our lives for that fairy tale romance!
As adults, we may daydream about when that ideal partner will turn up. For each of us, the dream may look different.
At this time of year, I’m reminded of the magical story I’d heard from a man I sat next to on a flight we shared.
Though you may have heard me share this story before, it values repeating because his story sounded like a real-life fairy tale!
What felt important about his story was what he shared about his enchanted partnership, self-love, and his exuberance to share the tale.
Hearing the rest of his story, compelled me to ask his permission to share it with “ME” Monday® followers.
The partners in this real-life romance will henceforth be known as ‘John’ and ‘Jane’. With permission and name changes, here is a summary of what he shared…
John had been heading home to the Pacific coast from a business trip in the mid-west via a long detour through my home airport on the Atlantic coast, where he was meeting his family.
The story began a few years before when he had been working for Habitat for Humanity. Hurricane Sandy had hit the eastern coast of the U.S. and he was sent to Atlantic City, NJ to help rebuild after the storm.
Jane was living in south Florida when ‘Sandy’ hit the coastline with its greatest impact in NJ and NY. With a big heart, Jane decided to join a volunteer group through Habitat for Humanity and traveled to Atlantic City, NJ to help rebuild after the storm.
Coincidence or destiny?
John and Jane individually arrived in Atlantic City, NJ fully prepared to help those who suffered losses during the hurricane, unaware they were destined to meet.
What they weren’t prepared for was what they would experience when they met each other for the first time. John knew the moment he saw Jane that she was in his future!
This was the moment east met west and love conquered all! Though they had a long-distance courtship initially, they eventually married, now reside on the pacific coast, and have a beautiful expanded family!
Now, I want to share what impacted me the most about the love story of John and Jane. This is where matters of the heart and “ME” Monday® met for a different kind of love story.
John had been traveling for work in a new career when we met. His wife and baby were going to visit her family on the east coast while he was away. Out of the love he holds for his family and himself, he scheduled additional flights so he could escort his wife and child to and from her family visit. Because he didn’t want to miss any moments with his family, he engaged his inner power to choose what felt most important to him and scheduled the time to make those important moments happen.
The flight we shared was the extra trip he was making to be with his family after his business trip concluded so they could travel back across the country together with his heart full!
I was so grateful he shared his story with me and also how he proudly prioritizes his family while also prioritizing what’s important for himself.
The moral of this story is that love can show up when and where we least expect it, and the quality of love we share with others begins with the quality of love we give ourselves.
It’s “ME” Monday®! Fuel your heart with some “ME” Monday® “ME” time and plan something of value for yourself, no matter how small before you celebrate with the special someone that stole your heart.