I was 17 when I met my husband and I was not seeking a husband, or love, or even a relationship. And yet there I was, at his house for a party on the 4th of July, discovering that we had many mutual friends, and laughing, laughing, laughing.

After that night, we starting spending time together often, and without even trying or realizing, found ourselves still spending time together as weeks, months, and eventually years went by.

This is how it happens.

Sometimes we have to put the dream down, let it rest (or maybe be not even know yet that we have it) and we have to follow the flow of where life leads us. That night, life led me to his house.

We have to trust that the timing is not in our control, that the circumstances might not look like what we expected or thought we desired, and that if our heart and eyes remain open, love will always guide us on this journey.

This will not always feel easy, and that is okay.

Sometimes it will feel downright painful.

It might make you feel broken – you are not.

It might make you feel lost – look closely and you will find your way.

It might make you feel like giving up the dream – instead, release it to the trust and love of the Universe.

The seeds have been planted in your heart.

You can plant a seed in a garden but you are not the one responsible for the wind, the rain, and the condition of the soil.

Of course you can help by protecting the seed as best you can from the wind, watering it when the rain does not come, and adding necessary nutrients to the soil.

And then you have to release, trusting that if the seed is meant to take root and grow, then it will.

Mary Oliver wrote, “things take the time they take.”

The work, the bravery, is in giving them the space to do so.

With Love and Gratitude,