W. Galen Weston, the owner of Selfridges in London and other famous retail brands, spotted a billboard featuring an Irish model, Hilary Frayne. He soon arranged for an introduction, and they married in 1966 in Henley-on-Thames, England.
I can relate to what Mr. Weston might have felt. There can be a moment in your life when you see someone, meet her, and know she is the one for you. And then the only thing you want is to be with her, and be together as man and wife. No less.
It does not stop at marrying her. You make sure everything works out between the two. Galen and Hilary stayed married for 55 years until his death in April 2021. The family expanded to two children, their spouses and four grandchildren. All living happily ever after.
Such a certainty about someone does not come often in life. In fact, it never does for most people. For others, it’s only once – it’s rare to feel like this about more than one person. When such a person comes into your life, you will know – the stars will shine and the bells will ring around you. Sometimes you just see the person from afar, or see them standing close. You may talk to them, or you may not talk to them. You may just see their image on a billboard, in someone’s phone, or on Facebook. They may be an unknown entity, a stranger, a friend of a friend, or an acquaintance. You may need to know a person well, or just spot them waiting for a bus – but when she (or he) is the one for you, you will know. Of course, things may not always work out the way you want them to though; the heartbroken Robert Kincaid will vouch for it in The Bridges of Madison County, the best-selling novel and movie of the same name featuring Clint Eastwood and Meryl Streep.
If everyone – not just men, but women too – were to be granted a wish, we should go for that magical moment when we behold the person with whom we script the story of the rest of our lives. Destiny will not deny any of us if we affirm to find such a person. The universe always rewards those who are full of love, not just for their romantic partners but for all creations on the planet. You have to be the kind of person who deserves this.
And despite finding the person you will want to love all your life, the magic would not stay alive by itself. The love has to be cherished, to be protected, to be nurtured – it’s like a child requiring your undivided attention continuously. You cannot let up, you cannot squander it. You will take the highs for granted, but you cannot allow the lows to get the better of you. You have to take everything in your stride, and fix things when they go broke. The ups and down will be a part of the ride, but you have to keep the belts fastened.
The story of Robert Kincaid and Francesca Johnson may be fictitious, and Galen’s and Hilary’s is for real, and we will never how these played out day-to-day in their lives. We may just see the big picture, but these are still the stories we want to listen to. For these are the stories we want to live.
We can. Open your heart for her (or him) to walk in when Cupid strikes with his finest arrows.