First Comes Love

Allie and Matt sitting in the tree

K-i-s-s-i-n-g!

First comes love. Then comes marriage.

Then comes baby in the baby carriage, . . .

I sang this song as a child with my friends. Maybe you did too.

As children we thought; That's the way love works!

I have had the privilege of living long enough to understand that Real Love is more expansive than the "Kissing in a tree" or the "He/she loves me or he/she loves not" kind.

I like the definition in Sharon Salzberg's book, Real Love, where she reclaims the word love. She expands it to mean "caring connections between human beings that create a sense of belonging".

So, this is my own new kind of LOVE STORY. It probably began with Matt and Allie kissing in a tree; but, I don't know because I don't know them.

Yet, I got an invitation to their wedding . . .

In September 2015 I received an internet paperless post invitation to Matt and Allie's wedding rehearsal dinner in Seattle Washington -

ALLIE AND MATT'S REHEARSAL DINNER

Friday, September 11th at 6:00 PM

Useless Bay Coffee Company langley, whidbey island, WA

My thought -

Where is Whidbey island and who are Matt and Allie?

I ignored the invitation.

Three years passed . . .

Then came the baby in the baby carriage!

In December 2018 I received another invitation - this time to a gender reveal -

BABY DESSERT (Dessert is the last name of the baby) Saturday, January 12th, 2019 at 5:30 PM Dessert Home 917 1st St, Kirkland, WA

It was time to intervene and let the sender know that she was sending an invitation to the wrong Laurie!

I sent an email -

"Hello,

This is the wrong Laurie. I live in North Carolina. Congratulations!"

Laurie Walker

I received a nice response -

"I’m sorry Laurie, the Laurie that I meant to sent it to actually has an A after her name, oops! She is the other grandmother for this baby so I had better make sure she gets her invitation!

Thanks for allowing me to correct that, have a great holiday."

I responded -

"Happy Grandmotherhood!"

Laurie

Six months passed then another invitation arrived.

BABY SHOWER FOR ALLIE Sunday, May 5th from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM 917 1st Street

I replied -

"I'm the Laurie in NC. " Laurie Walker

I received a nice reply -

"Oh hello old friend!"

I decided, perhaps this love was meant to be! So I responded -

"Sending you and Allie and the baby love across the miles! :)

Keep inviting me. I might come!

Next time I visit your part of the world, we should have coffee."

Laurie

My newest friend in Washington sent her reply -

"Deal! There are not many in Seattle with the last name Dessert... they are all my family❣️ I would love to have coffee!"

We are wired to connect and love. It is vital to our well being. As we now understand, connection is key to aging well. Within us there is a capacity to care about ourselves and others and want them to be well.

Here is a powerful loving kindness meditation for your own love stories.

My new love story?

To be continued . . .