...is sometimes difficult to ignore

She realized she couldn't meet her friend at the time they had planned.

When the phone rang she was relieved to hear Deborah wondering if the date could be changed... to the same weekend she herself was going to propose.

They hadn't seen each other for a few years and Chicago seemed like a great place to get together to celebrate their friendship. She was traveling from Ontario, Deb was traveling from Missouri.

They met on the first weekend in June, 1994.

They were tired after exiting the Art Institute of Chicago, but nearby the Blues Festival was in full swing, where thousands of people crammed Grant Park. They grabbed a beer and she led Deb through the crowd then stopped and stood listening to the music and feeling the sunshine. They stood in front of a group of people, friends to one another. A handsome man initiated conversation.

We met in Chicago on the first weekend in June, 1994.

Bill was in a serious relationship, I had just gotten out of one. He lived in New Hampshire, I lived in Ontario.

Our lives collided. The connection was so strong there was no ignoring it. I felt as though we had known each other our whole lives. And the discovery of details diminished uncertainty. My birthday was the same as Bill's deceased father's. Our mothers' birthdays were the same date, five years apart. His great-grandparent's names were Bill and Emily. Bill had quit smoking the day he flew to Chicago, and believe me when I say I would not have given him the time of day if he smoked.

We were married three years later.

And recently we celebrated our twenty-first wedding anniversary. We're enjoying some incredible experiences with two children we love with all our hearts. We are blessed, and I am so grateful.

Never underestimate the power of connection. To fellow human beings, to friends, to family, to lovers, to strangers.

Have you felt a powerful connection to someone that was difficult to ignore? Celebrate it!