It was a warm night, on the 1st of October in the year 2022, when Chris and Olivia first met. For the better part of a year, they had been told by mutual friends that they should meet each other, but they hadn't been granted the opportunity to be acquainted until that fateful night. In a bustling cigar lounge, they pretended not to notice each other, stealing hidden glances from across the crowded room. As Olivia and her sisters prepared to leave, they chanced to meet in the alleyway, where they were finally introduced by Chris’s good friend, Levi. I would like to say that it was love at first sight… However, this was not the case. Deeply wounded by her past, and undergoing the difficult process of divorce after seven years of marriage, Olivia was afraid of what might happen if she opened her heart to another man. Overwhelmed by her fears and anxieties, she could barely bring herself to look Chris in the eye. Taking this as a clear sign of disinterest, he could hardly bring himself to speak to her. So it was, an awkward first encounter… an unexpected beginning for the beautiful love story that was about to unfold.

During the cold winter months that followed, both Chris and Olivia embarked upon their own journeys of self-discovery and inner-healing, which played an essential role in laying the foundation for their reunion. One sleepless night, on the 6th of January, as the full moon crested the night sky, Olivia was suddenly overcome with inspiration. Guided by the echoes of her heart’s yearning and the cosmic dance of fate, Olivia left the warmth and comfort of her bed and began to write a letter detailing the attributes of the man that she would one day give her heart to. She read the letter to the stars before burning it, then she sang to the full moon as the smoke rose into the heavens like a prayer. That night, as she drifted off to sleep, Olivia could feel the presence of another, and for the first time since her first heartbreak, she allowed herself to hope.

Over the course of the following months, Chris and Olivia were continuously mentioned to one another in various conversations with mutual friends… Olivia’s sisters encouraged her to get to know him, but after the awkward encounter they had shared prior, it seemed an impossibility. As fate would have it, Olivia’s good friend Sarah chanced to meet Chris, unaware of the thread of destiny that had already begun to weave between them. As Sarah had conversed with him, she felt the distinct impression that Olivia and Chris would get along quite well, and that they should meet. “Could this really be the same Chris?” Olivia wondered. Sarah’s connection to him was so vague - a friend of a friend of a friend - that Olivia couldn’t help but to feel that it was more than mere coincidence. And so it was, that she began to open herself to the possibility that there might be some greater force drawing them together.

As springtime approached and Olivia continued to navigate her new life as a single mother, it became clear that she would need to find employment. She applied to various places of business, but felt particularly drawn to the idea of working outdoors, as reconnecting with nature had become an important part of her healing journey. After spending quite some time in isolation following her divorce, she had begun to crave community, as well. Her sister, Magdalena, teasingly suggested she should apply for a seasonal position at Highland Realm Blueberry Farm, where Chris lived and worked. It wasn’t a convenient commute… but once it had been suggested, Olivia couldn’t get the idea out of her mind. She wrestled with it for some time before finally contacting the farm to inquire about seasonal employment. She received a very friendly, but professional response, letting her know that, when the time came, she would be considered for a position at the farm. So Olivia began to wonder if she and Chris might be able to develop a casual relationship and get to know each other after spending some time working together. But this was not the destiny that awaited them…

Emboldened by Olivia’s inquiry at the farm, Chris reached out to her personally and invited her to have coffee with him. He was open about the fact that multiple people had encouraged him to get to know her, and if they were going to be working together, he didn’t want to pretend he wasn’t interested in exploring a more personal relationship. Finding his openness and honesty refreshing, Olivia heartily accepted his invitation! And so they made plans to meet at a local coffee shop the following weekend. As the date approached, unforeseen circumstances had arisen which caused Olivia to feel as if, perhaps, the time was not right… and so she intended to cancel their meeting. But her sister, Cassandra, encouraged her to keep the appointment, reassuring her that everything would work out in the end.

In the little town of Columbia, which intersected the rural landscapes in which they lived, Chris and Olivia met at a small coffee shop. Unlike their first encounter, this time their eyes met from across the crowded room. Without hesitation, Chris arose to meet her and, to Olivia’s surprise, greeted her with a warm embrace. She was even more surprised, still, when there was nothing within her that recoiled at his touch, which was something she had consistently experienced in her encounters with men in the past. She could always sense the intentions of a man when he touched her, feeling his desire to extract something from her in order to fulfill his own needs and desires… but with Chris, she felt only warmth and light emanating from him, transcending the reservations and doubts that lingered in her heart. In that moment she realized how different their first meeting could have been, had she not been so overwhelmed by fear and anxiety that she closed her heart to him. But it didn’t matter. The connection was instantaneous, and the conversation flowed freely and effortlessly. Olivia shivered with nervous excitement as they shared the stories of their pasts, their dreams of the future, and the many wondrous mysteries of cosmic forces beyond human comprehension.

In the garden behind the coffee shop, Chris and Olivia talked for hours, their conversation attracting more than a few curious glances from strangers. They decided to leave, and continued their conversation in the seclusion of a canopy of trees at a nearby park. Nature’s sanctuary served as the only witness to the burgeoning bond between two souls, as they were drawn to each other with magnetic intensity. Olivia began to experience presence within herself as never before. It was as if her soul had been dormant for most of her life, and had suddenly began to awaken in Chris’s presence. At one point, she became aware that she was expressing herself freely, without even a hint of the anxious self-awareness she usually felt when interacting with people she didn’t know very well. The ease with which they delved into the depths of their histories and the mysteries of the universe was a testament of the connection that they shared with one another. How beautifully aligned their dreams and aspirations were! How joyful it was to find another soul who not only shared a vision for the future, but also resonated deeply with shared ideals and desires. Neither of them wanted to leave, even though the day was nearly spent and their meeting had extended well past their expectations. They made plans to see each other again the following weekend.

The days passed in a blur of joyful anticipation, until they were reunited once again. Chris invited Olivia to meet him at the farm, and from there they traveled together to a place called “The Wall,” a sacred monument to a native woman who survived the Trail of Tears and made the long and treacherous journey back to her homeland on foot. It is a beautiful forest sanctuary, marked by a trailing stone wall, creating a labyrinth through the trees. Visitors leave special stones and trinkets on the wall, and there are spaces designated for teaching and for meditation or prayer. It was here in this magical place, where the forces of nature intertwined with history and spirituality, sitting on a stone bench at the end of The Wall, where Olivia opened up and shared a personal spiritual experience with him.

“There are so many things I want to say to that,” Chris said, his eyes sparkling.

“Like what?” Olivia asked softly.

Without another word, Chris leaned forward, stopping when their faces were merely inches apart, his eyes searching hers for a signal of rejection or consent. For a moment, Olivia was petrified with fear… not a fear of him, but of disappointment, broken promises, dashed hopes and dreams. What if it didn’t work out? What if they only hurt each other in the end? What if he came to find that she was not the person he wanted her to be? Old wounds were still fresh on the surface of her heart. She had intended to take things slow… but she had not expressed that to him. The depth of their connection was undeniable, and so she decided to take a chance. Closing the space between them, her lips gently interlocked with his in the most tender kiss. In the past, such romantic advances, even when they had been well encouraged and welcomed, had always left a twisted knot in the pit of her stomach. It was something that Olivia had come to accept as normal… but when she searched within herself for that familiar sense of repulsion, it was not to be found. Beneath her fear, in the depths of her soul, she wanted nothing more than to be near to Chris, to stay by his side from that moment on, to know him intimately and love him with her whole heart. Chris could sense her hesitation, and so he withdrew. Their eyes locked once more, his gaze searching her face for any signs of distress. The mixture of emotions was too much for Olivia to convey with words. Instead, she took his hand, her fingers intertwining with his, and rested her head upon his shoulder. They both breathed the moment in, allowing their emotions to wash over them and settle into the gentle silence that they held for one another. In that moment, as the wind whispered through the sacred grove of trees, the unspoken language of hearts intertwined, sealing the bond that surpassed the confines of words. Chris opened his heart to her, fully.

Olivia knew that, in order to move forward, her fears needed to be confronted head-on. She expressed her need to disclose the details of her past to Chris, so that he could better understand the fear and pain that haunted her. Before they left, they took another walk along The Wall, now with hands entwined. They found a little coffee shop in a nearby town, and there Olivia laid it all before him. At any point, she expected him to cut her off, saying that it was all too much, and that he wasn’t willing to take a chance on someone who was so badly damaged and uncertain… But, of course, Chris did no such thing. He listened patiently, taking in every word. When she finished her story, he thanked her for trusting him with such painful and intimate details of her past, but nothing about her history deterred him from his quest to pursue her. He assured her that he would always honor her boundaries, and that he expected nothing from her that she was not willing to give. And so, her fears were scattered as dust in the wind, and Olivia opened her heart to him, fully.

From that moment on, it was as if a bright golden light was pouring out from Chris’s heart, and every time they held one another, Olivia could feel it washing over her, seeping into the cracks of her heart, making her whole again. They shared every moment they possibly could, and still it wasn’t enough to satisfy them! They barely took the time to eat or sleep. It was as if they didn’t need to, they were so energized by each other’s company. They spent many summer nights intertwined beneath the canopy of stars, sharing their innermost thoughts and feelings… the moon seemed to smile upon them, remembering Olivia’s prayer from the previous winter. Those first few months together felt like a lifetime, and it felt to them as if they were “catching up” rather than getting to know each other for the first time. The more time they spent together, the more Olivia’s soul began to awaken, and the sense of familiarity that they felt for one another was unmistakable. They were as two old souls, which had come to earth together to show the world that true love exists. Within a few short weeks, they were prepared to share the rest of their lives together. Six months after that fateful meeting in a small town coffee shop, with the blessing of Olivia’s parents and the joyful consent of her young daughters, Eily and Evelyn, Chris asked Olivia to be his beloved wife. Her heart could know no greater joy than to be by his side from that moment forward, to have and to hold, come what may… and Olivia happily accepted!

And so their story begins.