Meet your special someone

Couples meet their special someone in a variety of ways. Asking “How did you two meet?” elicits stories that are often heartwarming or startling, and sometimes they are fraught with difficulties.

Here are three of the more memorable accounts I’ve heard.

How couples meet

During Covid, two of our friends were taking an online seminar. Working on the same team to complete a project gave them ample opportunity to get acquainted casually, even though they’d only met virtually. He began to fall in love but had no idea how she felt.

As Covid loosened its grip, he was very excited to learn that the whole cohort would finally gather in person. He orchestrated a quiet walk with her after the event and, with his heart in his mouth, broached the subject of dating with her.

To his delight, she said yes! For these two divorced friends, finding love again was a wonderful gift.

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How about marriage by lot? In the eighteenth century, the Moravians of Lititz, Pennsylvania kept a list of marriageable men and women. Here’s how they arranged marriages, according to author Melanie Dobson:

“The Moravian elders would select a couple they thought should marry and then would present the potential wife’s name to the single man. If the man agreed with their choice, the elders put the decision before the lot . . . [by using papers inscribed with yes, no, or wait,] stuffed into a glass cylinder. They prayed and then drew an answer from the cylinder.

If the answer was no, the elders would select the name of another woman for the single man to marry, and they would continue the selection process until the papers concurred with their choice. Then the leaders would speak to the single woman about the marriage. Moravian women had the option to turn down the marriage, but they rarely did. In their minds, the lot determined God’s will for their life.”

Inspiration for my book

Another man I knew had been romancing a woman for a while when she kind of ghosted him. After not getting any replies to his emails and phone calls, he began to worry he’d never hear from her again. He had no idea whether she was just busy or had lost interest in the relationship.

He decided to get her attention and declare his love in a bold way by sending dozens of long-stemmed roses to her home—and to her mother. Soon after that, they became a couple.

I loved this story so much that I adapted it for Secrets to the Wind.

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And now for how I met Jon. I was home from the University of Toronto for the summer after a string of disappointing romances. My plan for that season was to give dating a rest, earn tuition money, and do volunteer work—nothing more.

That’s when one of Jon’s coworkers—my mother’s best friend—asked if he’d like to meet a girl she knew. He said yes and they arranged to introduce us at church.

I wasn’t optimistic. After all, how lame was it to have a blind date arranged by one’s mother, at church? To my surprise, however, I did enjoy talking with Jon after the service.

But when he suggested that we go somewhere together, my cautious self threw up a roadblock, remembering those previous relationships. “I’d like us to get to know each other first,” I said.

He wisely replied, “How can we get to know each other if we don’t go out?”

I agreed to go only on the condition that another couple go along.

For our second outing I again opted for safety in numbers, inviting Jon to go to a park with my parents. Finally, I consented to date him solo. (Such a patient man!) The night that he confided his most vulnerable story to me was when I began to fall in love.

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Sometimes relationships encounter obstacles and need to be shaken up. Other times trust is an issue. It may take someone older and wiser to see how well a particular pair would fit together.

Despite all the difficulties we may have finding our special someones, we eventually do. Do you have a meaningful courtship story of your own? If so, please share it in the comments below.

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Quick announcement: Secrets to the Wind is now available in paperback. And when I release the third book in the Dauntless Series, you’ll be able to buy it in a boxed set or as a single book.

Have you read it yet? (You can order it here.) When you’ve finished it, please do me the favor of an honest review. It really helps.