Michael and I met when life was new and beautiful. I was 7 and he was 9. We attended a summer camp program together where we headed on a circus field trip adventure. I saw him standing, like a beacon, on the front steps of the school, headed toward the field trip bus. I asked him his name, and if he wanted to be my friend. And so, our story began!

For the next few months of the summer program, we were inseparable. During the outdoor play times, we would sit in the rocks together and each marvel at what the other had found. We shared interesting plants, bugs bugs and lots of giggles!

The beginning of the next school year, my family moved to a different city, and Michael and I were not able to see each other. For 8 years, we were separated by one city, while time stood still.

In my sophomore year of high school, my family moved back to the city Michael and I met in. After a short period of time, I learned that he still lived there. I had kept his phone number in my "treasure box" for all of those years, and decided to give him a call. He remembered me and was excited to catch up. We met at a park by my house, sat and talked for hours around a fire, and discovered that we still shared that same connection. We shared a few, beautiful months together, when we found that it was again, not yet our time.

Michael joined the Army shortly after, where he met and married his first wife with whom he had 2 children; Lucian and Drake. I had my fist child, Eric and married my first husband with whom I had a second child, Alexis.

After about 10 years, Michael reached out to me to tell me that he was sorry for how things ended when we were in high school. He wanted me to know that he loved me and that he would always love me. That I was the "one that got away". We each told each other that we were happy in the life we were living, and closed the book once more.

After 17, painful years I separated from my fist marriage. I had been broken down to almost nothing, and decided to go on a "soul journey" to reconnect with myself and build a belief that I was worthy and capable. I decided to take a long, 2 week road trip to stay in a rustic cabin on Lake Tahoe, stopping to see the Tetons along the way. The trip was nothing short of otherworldly. As I drove, finding more and more beauty as the miles went on, I felt a heavy pull at my heart strings. I wondered where Michael was in his life. How he was, and what he was doing. The pull became so overwhelming, that I pulled off of the freeway to see if I could find him. He was no longer anywhere to be found on social media, and I worried that I would never find him. After about 10 minutes of searching, there he was! On Linkedin of all places! I took a long shot and messaged him. Then I waited. The reply came quickly-he was glad to hear from me and the rest is history!

Reconnecting has not been easy, but nothing worth doing ever is. In the 3 years we have been together, we have weathered many storms but like a mighty Oak, we have grown stronger on the other side of each one. We have weathered 4 moves, 8 job changes between the 2 of us, difficult family dynamics, and school for both of us. With each hurdle, we come closer and closer to where it feels that we were always meant to be.