I am amazed, confounded, stunned, elated, excited, overwhelmed, grateful, delighted, and yeah, to be honest, a bit anxious.

It has been 9 months since my husband died. I grieved deeply, cried buckets, and after many months, I began to see the light at the end of the proverbial tunnel. I wasn’t too sure what I was seeing in that light, but I was not ready to give up on finding the right person to share what remains of my time on this beautiful and complicated planet.

So, I took a big, scary risk. I decided to try on-line dating apps. Oh, I didn’t try just one either. If I was going to do it, I was going to dive deep! I signed up for Our Time, Silver Singles, Facebook dating and eHarmony. What I quickly discovered, is that the “Matching algorithms” are not so great! For instance, I live in a sub-division of a major city, that shares the name of an actual city in another very distant part of my state. The service tried to match me with men who lived about 400 miles away!

I also selected specific characteristics, beliefs and personality types I was seeking, but I was matched with men who certainly did not fit the list! But I tried. I contacted some “profiles” that had an appealing photograph and interesting bio. Unfortunately, some were scammers. I was notified by the app management that I should discontinue communicating with about four people, who had been flagged as suspicious!

I had a couple of telephone conversations with men from these searches, but I felt kind of uncomfortable with some of the things they asked me. I am a very honest person, but I know there are creepy people out there, and the last thing in the world I need is to find myself in a scary situation! So I was getting pretty skeptical that I would find anyone with whom I would connect in ways that would be deep and meaningful. But hey, might as well expand my circle of friends at least right?

And then…I saw a photo of a nice looking man. He was standing with his hands, palms forward, looking well groomed, and I guess I would say, open. This was not someone who had been “matched with me” but a profile that I found intriguing. I decided to send a message and see if maybe there might be something to this guy that I might like. And he responded right away!

Not only did he respond, but we began exchanging emails that were, to my astonishment, great fun to read, very funny, touching and profound! After living with someone who was not a big communicator, and not particularly demonstrative or even romantic, I was kind of blown away! This guy had never met me, nor I him, yet we were connecting in some kind of sensational way that I had never experienced in my entire life!

I was out of town, and had to fly home in a few days. I didn’t have anyone to give me a ride home, so I told him I would probably be taking an Uber. We had made plans to meet at a location between where he lives and I live the following weekend, so I expected that would be the first time we would meet. But much to my surprise, he said that he wanted to drive for more than two hours, to pick me up at the airport!

I assumed he would meet me at the curb, and while part of me was whispering that I was maybe putting my safety at risk by allowing this, I decided to take the chance. But he is more of a romantic than I realized! As I was waiting for my luggage, he came into the area with flowers and helped me with my suitcase! He hugged me! He opened the car door for me! I think right then, my brain stopped being able to process what was happening!

The rest of that afternoon was a bit of a blur. I think I was in a kind of emotional shock! He went to his motel that night, and in the morning began a truly storybook romance! I can’t compare this to anything I have ever experienced in my entire life! This man feels like a perfect fit… neither one of us can stop the electricity we are feeling. We like each other, genuinely. We laugh, we get serious, we giggle into the night, and we love to be together. What is happening??? Now is really, really good!