I was made and meant to look for you and wait for you and become yours forever.

-Robert Browning

Finding love late in life gives all the trials and traumas that came before new meaning. Change anything—one accident, one heartbreak, one bad decision, one near miss—and you might have never found each other because timing is everything. No matter how old you are, finding the person in the same place as you and wanting to show up is the only way a relationship works.

Being alone for a spell helps, too. And we have both had some alone time. Time to realize who you are, and to be comfortable with that person. Love is not about finding someone to complete you; it’s about realizing you are already complete and that you have a lot to offer. We both found ourselves ready to look for love and companionship, and we were prepared to give.

So, as we “bumbled” into online dating, we knew what we wanted. Honesty. Confidence. Affection. Fun. Laughter. Adventure. Willingness. Open-mindedness. And a connection to home. Good thing Andy wore his University of Rochester hat in the photo, or Michelle might not have swiped right. A few days of conversation quickly turned into a New Year's Day date/hike with the dogs. Then we put miles on the cars, shuttling between Baltimore and DC. By March, we were together in New Orleans for our first getaway.

It seemed easy right from the start. They say opposites attract, but we are very alike in many important ways—values, temperaments, and how we look at life. The only difference is that Michelle is the extrovert and Andy is the introvert. It works. She gets him out of his shell, and she gets a bit of stability and peace. That’s reflected in our two places: the quiet house in the country and the busy marina on the Bay.

It didn’t take Andy long to pop the question, and it didn’t take Michelle long to say yes. Just two years to the day of that first date, under the fireworks as the clock struck midnight on the beach.

What’s next? Most likely, concerts, boat rides, road trips, laughter, dancing, reading, and hikes. Plus, time with the five adult children, two dogs, our Western NY families, and friends. With a few quiet days in between.

This is the one—the one we have both waited for—and we are going to make the most of it.

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