August 17, 2024- As I entered the patio at Rafter Eleven, to sit and enjoy the repertoire of a singer-guitarist named Dwayne, a woman invited me to sit at her table, making mention of having seen me sitting alone, a few weeks ago. Mom didn’t raise any snobs, so I gladly joined her at table, exchanging names and broader life stories. The lady asked about the Baha’i Faith, and I gave her a brief synopsis-in between interruptions by wait staff and others needing the attention of one or both of us. (The website, http://www.bahai.org, was part of the information given.)

I was mildly cognizant of being guarded as to her interest, but one of her first questions, after our mutual talk of widowhood, was “Is there someone in your life now?” My answer in the affirmative prompted her to offer that she, too, had recently met a gentleman, a budding friend.

Our conversation continued, for nearly ninety minutes, in between offering applause for Dwayne, showing appreciation for his family being there to encourage him and enjoying Rafter’s delectable food. We encouraged one another, in the growth of our respective friendships and parted with a respectful handclasp.

There is someone, I believe, for every person in the world; for every being in the Universe. It is not necessarily upon the expression of desire, and, as in a maze, there are many mistaken paths that end in a roadblock. Even those of us, like the lady above and yours truly, who have lost a true love, can find another who may have him/herself been through a loss. When this happens, there is surety and it never feels like a chore, or something that is contrived. Believe me, I have been through several false starts, that fortunately did not end in irreparable harm to either party. Several of those women are still good friends of mine.

One day at a time, sweet Lord.