And Then I Knew

2009-12-27T07:26:00.000-08:00

On Jan 13 2009, I watched a man give a speech in a very important ceremony with all our superiors watching. While watching this incredibly good looking , confident, successful man give his speech I had this feeling in my gut, that I was looking at the man that would be my husband. Having never spoken a word to him , I felt like an idiot for having this gut feeling, but it was a feeling I couldn’t subside. I stood there watching and listening to his words asking myself “ why do I feel like this man is going to be my husband”. I have gazed my eyes upon many men, and I have never had my gut give my this feeling about anyone.
Its almost been a year since that day , and yes, I have spoken to him. We have become very close over the past year. He has told me things he has never told anyone before , and I have told him my inner most thoughts and feelings as well. We are currently in the beginning stages of couple hood. I haven’t decided If I am a fatalist or an existentialist, but we will see how good my gut feelings are at reading a situation.

In the future, If my gut feeling gives me the answer I felt that day, I can assure everyone I will tell the world gut feelings are to be taken seriously. Lets see what happens.

(j)

2009-12-27T07:25:00.000-08:00

I knew the moment I was able to see him for exactly who he is and perhaps more importantly, who he is not—and love him anyway. Love isn’t being with someone for who they could be or who you want them to be, it’s loving someone for who they are—it’s total acceptance of the person they are and the desire to be at their side when they become whatever it is they are meant to be. I realized then that no matter what point on his path he is on, and no matter how hard his struggles may be, I will love him and I will cherish his spirit for as long as I have breath in me to do so. J

(Trish76)

2009-10-04T17:29:00.000-07:00

I knew they were meant to be the moment I introduced them.

(Anonymous)

2009-09-27T19:38:00.000-07:00

We were walking down the street together. It was the way she looked at me at that one moment.

(Anonymous)

2009-09-13T07:11:00.000-07:00

Honestly, he's the only one who accepted me.

(Anonymous)

2009-09-06T08:04:00.000-07:00

I was once asked, "How did you know she was the one." I responded. "It was never a question".

(CJ)

2009-09-01T06:01:00.000-07:00

Submit your own soulmate story, in a single sentence, to andtheniknew@gmail.com

2009-08-30T14:24:00.000-07:00

When I felt like I always had to be around her.

(RT)

2009-08-23T10:13:00.000-07:00

We would run into each other randomly at stores and at the gym. There was one time when I saw him at K Mart and he said I was going to be his wife.

(Y)

2009-08-18T08:00:00.000-07:00

You know your in love when the 2 of you can go the whole day without speaking but neither one of your are taking it personal.

(EJ)

2009-08-10T08:13:00.000-07:00

It was love at first sight for me. From the day I saw him, I have always felt that we were met to be. That was more than four years ago, we keep in touch on an off, he is now seeing someone else but my feelings for him have never changed. I would give up anything for him. I lose track of everything around me when I'm with him. It just feels so right to me. He is my soulmate and always will be even if we never end up with each other.

(Anonymous)

2009-08-02T17:32:00.000-07:00

Cuz he drew really good.

(LM, 8 years old)

2009-07-12T16:15:00.000-07:00

When I met her she was genuine, very supportive of my career and most of all beautiful inside and out. She continues to be that way after 6 years of marriage!

(Black Love Forever)

2009-07-05T08:33:00.000-07:00

Well me and my wife always felt that as different as our lives were they were soooo the same, we had a great understanding of one another. But we both were very protective of our hearts so we usually spent most of our time in relationships trying to find something wrong with the other person. We have been together for 6 years and neither of us would change a single thing about each other. It all just feels like we were meant to be together.

(Alvin Thornton)

2009-07-05T07:00:00.000-07:00

And then I knew is updated on Sundays.

2009-06-28T15:04:00.000-07:00

I knew she was the one when she wanted to know about me. Not what I do, awards I've won...She looked me in my eyes and inquired about me, what makes me smile, angry, laugh uncontrollably. She encouraged me to know me better as well. I knew she was the one I could build a life with.

(ND Lewis)

2009-06-21T17:14:00.000-07:00

(gebsite www.gebsite.com/visions.html )

2009-06-21T17:06:00.000-07:00

I knew when I saw myself looking back through his eyes. I found my soulmate by first finding myself… Soulmate love far surpasses chemical attraction; it overcomes all duality, role playing, ego, pride and superficiality and reflects back to you your own inner beauty and truth.

If you haven’t already found your soulmate, you can find a person committed to loving and accepting you for who you really are, without condition, by first learning to love and accept yourself in this way. Give to yourself and others that which you wish to receive. Stop looking outside of yourself for acceptance and you will certainly attract a life-time soulmate, if this is what you desire, through The Law of Attraction.

You are ALWAYS attracting to yourself that which is like you, whether you are willing to recognize this truth or not. A relationship is a mirror in which to see your own reflection. If you don’t like what you are attracting, it’s time to change!

(Shelley Cates Martin www.findingmrright.net )

2009-06-07T14:48:00.000-07:00

Soulmate

by Julia

As a child you learn of a soul mate…a person made perfectly for you, your two souls become connected as one and are destined to be together until the end of time.

Through adolescence you grasp on to this idea of a soul mate, believing you will someday find the one.

But after much heartache and many rivers of tears, this notion you’ve held onto for years begins to fade.

As time goes by, day by day, year after year, you move forward, accepting of your failures and proud of your successes…until that day.

This is a day like any other, it begins no differently than yesterday and the days before, but it is a day that will change you forever, a day that the magic and fantasy of a soul mate becomes real.

For each of us it happens differently…the holding of eye contact, an introduction, a smile. Regardless of how it began, the moment is unforgettable.

It was a magical moment, frozen in time, the surroundings, the smells, the feeling you felt.

The rush of warmth through your body felt exhilarating and new, yet somehow familiar. It was a feeling you imagined time and again…but never this powerful.

As butterflies fluttered in your stomach it was an explosion of emotions. Who is this person that can make me feel this way?

As this invisible force draws you to this person you can sense a mutual feeling. A connection unlike any other you’ve experienced before, impossible to resist.

You feel a burning, a fire from deep inside, that you can’t ignore. From that first second of encounter this person is there with you, in every thought and action…causing you to smile, laugh, and feel more alive than ever before.

This person becomes a part of you, your other half…your soul mate.

And as you learned as a child, this person was made perfectly for you, your two souls are connected as one and are destined to be together until the end of time.

(www.TheRomantic.com)

2009-05-24T09:38:00.000-07:00

After an outing, we were both standing there covered head to toe in mud. I knew then that she was my soulmate - she would always participate.

(Anonymous)

2009-05-17T09:15:00.001-07:00

When she said she wanted to bring the “big bag” to the movies instead of over spending.

(Jason)

2009-05-17T09:13:00.000-07:00

I woke up one day out of the blue and felt complete, I know it sounds corny, but I just knew.

(Quincy Dequan)

2009-05-17T09:12:00.000-07:00

When I came to my dorm room and he was already there, sleep in my bed.

(Anonymous)

2009-05-10T07:57:00.000-07:00

when we stayed up for hours arguing who is better Kanye West or Jay-Z, when I woke up every Sunday to a "good morning sweetheart", when I decided to take a chance, stand up for what I want and stopped being afraid to accept love...then I knew.

(eargasm)

2009-05-10T07:32:00.000-07:00

Since we were kids, I just felt we were meant to be.

(Anonymous)

2009-05-10T06:44:00.000-07:00

when I saw us in a movie.

(Anonymous)

2009-05-03T10:01:00.000-07:00

It became clear to me in a dream involving Valentine's Day, a drug store, and Rashida Jones.

(SG)

2009-05-03T09:11:00.000-07:00

I realized that we were soulmates when I decided that I was willing to sacrifice what I wanted to make him happy and he was willing to do the same. (Applying for grad school put us in that situation.)

(Deidra Morrison)

2009-05-03T08:51:00.000-07:00

Her name is Dee, she was never my girlfriend. I went to her prom and she went to my prom. We dated but she was not my girlfriend. We never had sex, only kissed a handful of times in like so many years but not because she didn’t want to but more of a mutual respect thing at the time. I loved her but my pride is too high and I could never chase her or go out of my way cause of the possibility of things not working out would hurt so I would rather date girls that I don’t have any feeling for just cause I didn’t like that feeling of being vulnerable like she could possibly hurt me, you know?

(Jay)

2009-04-19T10:30:00.000-07:00

HE CHOSE HER

HE CHOSE HER…
(08.11.08)

… Because the look in her eyes
Was forever,

… Because of the sweet nectar,
Running down her thighs,

… Because she quenches
His native thirst,

… Because she gives him
The best of her,

… Because her soul
smiled back at his,

… Because she is,
Exactly what he prayed for.

(www.myspace.com/hgalford)

2009-04-19T10:28:00.000-07:00

I don’t believe that there is a "one" for anybody...love is what you make it.

(QB)

2009-04-19T10:13:00.000-07:00

Personally, I think waiting for the one is the fastest way to get hurt... being happy with yourself and then naturally being with someone is the way to go.

(Anonymous)

2009-04-12T15:02:00.000-07:00

All in all, I was friends/co-workers with my husband for a year before we started dating, and when I look back at it, I think I had a gut feeling from the beginning. Not necessarily love at first sight, but a recognition of something I had been searching for, for a long time- so I do wake up many mornings counting my blessings for having found him or us having found each other. That answer is the very "soulmate" type answer.

However, when it came down to it, and the question of "how do you know you want to spend the rest of your life with someone," I definitely had times when we were dating that I probably had one foot out the door. In the end, what really sealed the deal for me seems more rational. When things had gotten really tough in past relationships, either the guy I was dating or I would cut our losses and walk away. With him, it became clear that neither of us was willing to walk away even when things were hard. We would rather go through it together than alone. In the end, I knew he was willing to fight for me. Maybe that's what the romantic little girl inside me always wanted, someone willing to fight for me. He was willing to tough out the hard times, and for the first time I realized that I was worth that. In the end, because of all the hard work that he put into our relationship I knew I could spend the rest of my life with him. In the beginning, when it was still easy, I had already figured out that we could have a lot of fun together, that we made a good team and made each other better people, but when the honeymoon wore off what really made it stick was his unwillingness to give up. The tenacity and dedication it takes to make a relationship work was something I had never seen before I was with him, and that was it for me. In his willingness to love me- both the good and the bad, I realized I was worth that kind of love, and that I wanted to face everything in life with him from then on.

(Anonymous)

2009-04-05T08:28:00.000-07:00

When I see her for some reason I just lose my appetite. I'm at ease. Each smile of hers deserves a priceless gift.

(Anonymous)

2009-04-05T08:25:00.001-07:00

When her happiness was more important than mine...

(V)

2009-04-05T08:24:00.000-07:00

I'm attracted to her. Not only her personality but the way she is and I probably don't have a chance.

(Anonymous)

2009-03-29T17:03:00.000-07:00

He came right up to me.

(Anonymous)

2009-03-29T17:01:00.001-07:00

It was more a feeling than reasoning.

(Anonymous)

2009-03-29T16:57:00.000-07:00

I saw a pic on the web and she was so calm.

(Anonymous)

2009-03-22T18:21:00.001-07:00

He scraped the car windows the next morning.

(Anonymous)

2009-03-22T18:20:00.000-07:00

When everything is going right, it feels like I'm invisible.

(Anonymous)

2009-03-22T18:18:00.000-07:00

My husband's strong desire to be a dad contributed to my love for him. The arrival of our little baby Jason Christian solidifies our love for each other.

(Nicole)

2009-03-15T11:32:00.000-07:00

She owned both VHS and DVD copies of "The Goonies."

(Anonymous)

2009-03-15T11:29:00.001-07:00

He came over to my place one day after church and cooked a Sunday dinner: baked chicken, greens, mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, and candied yams.

(Anonymous)

2009-03-15T11:26:00.002-07:00

She cleaned up my vomit.

(LKJ)

2009-03-15T11:14:00.000-07:00

She almost fell down the stairs when I said “hello.”

(Anonymous)

2009-03-15T11:13:00.000-07:00

When you realize that in life nothing scares you any longer and everything just excites you, as long as you are with the one you love.

(Anonymous)

2009-03-01T17:15:00.000-08:00

He is bringing me chinese food and for 3 days I have been as nervous as a cat.

(cra)

2009-03-01T17:14:00.000-08:00

Her independence.

(SJ)

2009-03-01T17:13:00.001-08:00

When I realized that the Love she had shown me was a manifestation of God's Love. We were at a restaurant and I was sitting at the table waiting for her to return from the lavatory. As she walked toward me, it was as though time stood still. Her smile, her walk...there was something special about that moment. When she came back to the table and held my hand, I said to myself....'this is it.'

(Jevon Caldwell-Gross)

2009-03-01T17:11:00.001-08:00

In all moments regardless of difficulty, I am at my best, at ease and inspired by the challenges.

(CK)

2009-03-01T17:10:00.001-08:00

And then I knew is updated on Sundays.

2009-02-22T18:45:00.001-08:00

You know you have found your soulmate when everything around you seems to be falling down, then as soon as you are around that person none of those things seem to matter.

(Anonymous)

2009-02-22T18:41:00.000-08:00

I lived on the 6^th floor of a building in Madrid, Spain. And some stone foxes lived on the 4^th floor. At least that's what people told me. “2 sisters”, they said, “with Italian boyfriends. One is a dancer. The other is blond. Naturally, my curiosity was peaked by this information but I also had a girlfriend at the time and was busy living my life. Now, I also had my office in my 6^th floor apartment and the elevator was broken, had been since 1981 (this was 1987) and might still be for all I know. At that time it definitely was so there were a lot of stairs to climb. One day I was going down the stairs and she was coming up. I smelled her before I saw her and then I saw her smile. That was it. I spent the next few weeks thinking about her smell and smile. And started to seek her out. She knew it too. Her friends would tell her: He’s coming for you. It took us a few years but we finally went out once and got married 4 months later. That was 17 years ago. She is a female, Spanish, like me in many ways and in many ways my opposite. But she is a jewel.

I had to cross the ocean 7 times and go down 2 flights of stairs to find her.

(Nick Harris, www.LadyFromSpain.com)

2009-02-22T18:38:00.000-08:00

I knew after we laughed at the same things.

(Anonymous)

2009-02-22T18:36:00.000-08:00

It was freshman year in college -- science class -- and I came in class on the first day and walked past her on the front row. It was her smile that caught my attention and the way she looked back at me -- there was a instant connection as if I had seen her before somewhere. I simply said to myself "that's gonna be my wife." It took me two and a half years before we actually got together, but I was in constant pursuit because I knew there was something about her that made me feel the way I did.

(CL)

2009-02-22T18:00:00.000-08:00

I knew my wife was the one because I already loved her strictly as a friend first. Then God spoke to us both to reveal what was a natural transition into romance.

(Adriohn Richardson, www.myspace.com/taniq)

2009-02-15T14:25:00.000-08:00

I tried to deny it at first. We were really good friends and I thought he would always be my good friend no matter what. I had recently ended a long term relationship and I spent so much time with my boyfriend, you know, as JUST FRIENDS! I knew in my heart that I desired to have a boyfriend because I was the girlfriend type, so I wrote a list of all things I desired in a mate. One day I was reading this list to Samuel and it hit me then and there that I was describing... Samuel! I knew then. That's the "story," but really something just clicked. There were a few "blah blah blah" things that happened before I came to the realization, but once I knew, I just knew. He's my best friend. He's a great father to his children and a good man.

(Shannon BoBo)

2009-02-15T14:24:00.000-08:00

I could express myself without fear of repercussion.

(B. Brown)

2009-02-15T14:22:00.001-08:00

We met at my friend's wedding in Jamaica -- I was a bridesmaid and he was a groomsman. Luckily, we were paired to escort each other, so during the long weekend of activities -- rehearsals, rehearsal dinner, etc. -- we had several chances to talk. He had a very silly sense of humor, which I found attractive. On the day of the wedding he was stunning in a white tux (I don't think I looked so bad myself in my bridesmaid gown), and at the reception we danced and laughed nonstop. I knew that I wanted to be around this person for the rest of my life. Later that night, we broke away from the rest of the group and stayed up very late talking on the beach. It was as if I had waited all my life to form this connection. My heart pounding, I went in for a kiss and was surprised when he pulled away. He told me that although he had feelings for me, he wasn't able to act on them in good conscience because he had a girlfriend at home. It was one of the best weekends of my life. I haven't seen or talked to him since.

(Anonymous)

2009-02-15T14:11:00.000-08:00

She loved me more than anyone ever had and saw me for who I really was.

(Taylor Rodgers)

2009-02-15T14:09:00.002-08:00

We were able to work through problems and continue a healthy relationship.

(J. McFarlane)

2009-02-08T10:01:00.000-08:00

It was like my heartbeat finally found its true rhythm when I was with him.
He was the first person I could just talk to forever without pretense.

Right away.

I mean, I knew it right away.

My breath matched his.

We were just breathing and beating together in conversation.

(Prima Clementina)

2009-02-08T09:59:00.000-08:00

I knew what I needed and saw what I wanted.

(Preston Kohn)

2009-02-08T09:58:00.000-08:00

With us...or at least with me...there was no single event that made me know that she was the one. When we lived in different states, everything was peachy because we saw each other so seldom that we enjoyed the couple of days we had together. When I moved into the same city as her I thought that it would be great for a while and then possibly plateau. But it really didn't! I really realized that if I could spend so much time with someone and not grow tired of her and she not grow tired of me (all the time)....she's definitely the one.

We still have fun together and I never get tired of seeing her face when I wake up or come home from work...

I mean...don't get me wrong, it's not always peachy, but I would trade my experience for anything, and I am just looking forward to slipping that other ring on her finger!

(ARG)

2009-02-08T09:49:00.000-08:00

I knew he was the one because the way our relationship progressed was the most comfortable and natural thing that's ever happened to me.

(KB)

2009-02-08T09:47:00.000-08:00

Unbeknownst to me, at the time, I met my soul mate when I was 14 years old. I went to a high school journalism contest on a Saturday and was introduced to him. I was immediately taken. Unlike all the other high school boys I had met thus far, he was intelligent, kind and genuine. So genuine that he felt compelled to tell me at the competition, "I used to hate you but now that I know you I really like you," which we often laugh about now. We talked and laughed together that day and had a great time. As fate would have it, we missed the opportunity to be together all those years ago. Looking back that was a good thing since our young immature hearts couldn't have fully appreciated one another. Fate dealt us another chance 18 years later and we are finally together...Shuffling together like two little penguins through messy, sometimes frightening, wonderfully exhilarating life!

"I carry your heart with me (I carry it in my heart)" - E.E. Cummings

(V)

2009-02-08T08:55:00.000-08:00

And then I knew is updated on Sundays.

2009-02-08T08:54:00.000-08:00

Submit your own soulmate story, in 200 words or less, to andtheniknew@gmail.com

2009-02-01T20:00:00.000-08:00

I knew almost instantly. I actually told friends I was in love before we met, just based on 3 months of letter writing. We had some major differences (he didn't want marriage or kids) yet I knew it was right. I just trusted my instincts I guess.

(Jessica H. Berzac)

2009-02-01T19:57:00.000-08:00

He took care of me when I got sick one night, and he never acted uncomfortable about it. I had a feeling that he was the one, but that night proved it to me for sure.

(SD)

2009-02-01T19:51:00.000-08:00

My young life has afforded me opportunities too vast for measurement. I have seen large portions of the world and loved many women. I have tasted pain a sour taste that stains the senses, but it is this pain that allows me to describe joy. Love! I have loved many woman, but only have had one true soul mate and it is you. I met her young. The innocence was sublime, yet fading. We had metallic dreams of infamy, which you sweetly hold dear. I abandon my hopeless dreams to conquer all, yet retain the clarity to know you are my soul mate.

I love Black People and will die for them given the opportunity. I have loved many woman, but I melt as I remember your laugh... I tear up any time I think you're in pain. You have always been my soul mate.

(Berton Brown)

2009-02-01T19:49:00.000-08:00

I knew when my behavior changed, I had no need for anyone or anything else.

(Anonymous)

2009-02-01T19:46:00.000-08:00

We had been friends for some time when she invited me to go to an electronics store to help her pick out a stereo system. She had brought with her a "test" C.D. so that she might listen to the sound quality of each stereo. She played the same song on each system: "Little Girl Blue" by Nina Simone. For what must have been a half hour, I watched her listen to that song over and over again, each time just as intently as the time before. I'm not sure what it was about that song, that store, or those moments, but by the time she had played "Little Girl Blue" for the last time and picked out her stereo, I was in love.

(Anonymous)

2009-01-30T09:03:00.000-08:00

And then I knew is updated on Sundays.

2009-01-25T14:45:00.000-08:00

Sadly, I am my soulmate. "Sometimes it's not so easy, especially when your only friend talks, sees, looks and feels like you; and you do the same as him." --Jimi Hendrix

(Cameron Duncan)

2009-01-25T14:41:00.000-08:00

I first met Eddie at my friends' dorm room (it was some party) and even though I was with my boyfriend at the time, I just felt some amazing vibe! It's hard to put into words but it was just an attraction that was soul binding. All of a sudden, this person I didn't know was important to me. If not then, I knew he had some bearing on my future. No matter how many times we broke up, I always knew later down the road we would be together. With casual dating, when we weren't together, it felt... not right. It was as if my heart and soul were already reserved.

(Brittany Dixon)

2009-01-25T14:36:00.000-08:00

She was in Brazil and I was in Miami and we couldn't reach each other for two days because hurricane Wilma knocked out the electricity.

(Anonymous)

2009-01-25T14:34:00.001-08:00

I knew he was the one when I began to know him in other ways than just the friend he had been prior to us dating.

(Anonymous)

2009-01-25T14:32:00.000-08:00

I'll know she is the one when she sees past where I am and invests all her love to find out what we can be.

(Sweets)

2009-01-24T13:37:00.000-08:00

Submit your own soulmate story, in 200 words or less, to andtheniknew@gmail.com

2009-01-18T14:00:00.000-08:00

When I found out that she liked the cartoons that I watched. Being an adult but not letting go of the kid in you…

(Anonymous)

2009-01-18T13:57:00.000-08:00

I had just moved to San Francisco. It was an exciting time of new things for me. I found myself walking around that city, all over, up and down, to the ocean and back. But I couldn't stop thinking of her. I called her, wrote her, texted her, IM'd her, I even Googled her. Finally, I began to dream of her, and I just couldn't enjoy San Francisco anymore. I was walking around that big city, seeing how beautiful it was, how interesting all the people were... and I realized that I could not really enjoy it because she wasn't there. So I called her and told her I was coming, jumped on a plane the next morning, and she met me at the airport. Thats my girl.

(Ryan)

2009-01-18T13:55:00.001-08:00

After we had been married for three years.

(Anonymous)

2009-01-18T13:51:00.001-08:00

“I knew he was the one because he brought me closer to God.”

(B. Boles)

2009-01-18T13:47:00.000-08:00

Upon first blush
whence encountering me future bride
at the contra dance (now more’n a dozen years ago) felt a maddening crush
upon bended knee, she (with joyous tears) nearly cried
per feeling like she won her own royal flush
seeking that je nais sais quois loving maternal guide
which sands of times ushered us to feel a need to rush
and begin our family who from the birth canal both girls did easily slide!

We twirled and waltzed each other all thru the night
unaware that the live band ceased playing music on stage
and kept pirouetting until the dawn of morning light
that memorable occasion forthwith we both felt a new page
of our respective lives would be filled with storied joy from this brave knight
and willing lass, whose immediate camaraderie we did immediate gauge
in whose brown eyes excitement did alight
at the prospect for blissful happiness and offspring no matter her “advanced” age!

Deux dozen years from that day I did proposition thine loving lass
this aging beau still adores the image reflected from the looking glass
no matter that the swiftly passage of time displeases me – alas!

(M. Harris)

2009-01-18T13:39:00.000-08:00

As my friend, not even dating then, I could share my fears and worst self and not get judged, but get understood as being only human.

(KK)

2008-12-14T18:10:00.000-08:00

(illegalfunk.blogspot.com)

2008-12-14T18:01:00.000-08:00

I sat silently in the car as my father drove me to the airport on a gray September day. The somber clouds reflected the melancholy stirring up inside of me. I did not want to leave. I did not want to return to my college a thousand miles away. I knew I had to but that recognition didn’t make the fact any more appealing. During those few moments on the George Washington Parkway, with the Potomac rushing past my father and me in muddy throws of brown, I realized I was in love. The previous night, my high school sweetheart took me to watch a classical concert at the Kennedy Center. We walked arm in arm, like the young and elegant couple we were, after not having seen each other for a month. He looked so sincere; he made me feel beautiful and at peace. At eighteen years of age, I had found someone I was confident I wanted to keep in my life for as long as possible, for as long as we’re both still breathing. Thankfully, he harbored that same hope and we are still together today with plans for our future.

(Christine Stoddard, www.christinestoddard.com)

2008-12-14T17:58:00.000-08:00

She was special in so many ways I never knew. In 1986 she left me, and every day since I knew that she was the love of my life.

(Anonymous)

2008-12-14T17:51:00.000-08:00

She pulled into the parking lot and as she got out of her car, I felt my heart race already, and I didn't even know her name. She looked around curiously, and finally, as our eyes met, she asked me, "where's the administration office" almost stumbling over my words, I felt my arm heavy as wet cement, slowly raise, and point to the office. Words raced through my head faster than an Indy pace car, but my mouth could not produce them fast enough.

Her eyes deep brown, so captivating I could drown in them. Her long brown hair glistened in the sun, as I watched her walk across the parking lot with such fine confidence. She was the new staff member, and I always swore never to get involved with anyone I worked with. However, my heart had other plans. I found myself finding excuses to be around her, no matter how lame. She caught on to my flickering flame that quickly blossomed into a roaring fire of infatuation of unimaginable proportions.

She was a mysterious one, she kept her private life private, until I had the nerve to ask her what she was doing over spring break. She smiled at me, and I almost melted, as she replied, "not much, do you want to go do something?" I just about passed out from her simple question, and quickly recovered when she gave me her phone number.

Time passed, we exchanged glances, quiet smiles, and occasional touch on the arm, or "accidently" got in each other's way. One evening a group of us decided to go for dinner and drinks after work. As the group dwindled, we realized it was late, and just the two of us. I offered to drive her to her car, as we pulled into the parking lot, and I slid my car in the spot next to her car, we awkwardly filled empty, nervous space with minor chit chat until....
She leaned over and kissed me, I saw fireworks better than the fourth of July on N.Y. Harbor. It felt like my heart was going to explode, as she pulled away and said, "I feel the same way." And then I knew.... she stole my heart the minute I laid eyes on her the first day I saw her.

(Anonymous)

2008-12-14T17:46:00.000-08:00

We were grasping at each other with the tenacity of a clam. Her hands, hot and clammy, beveled the flesh of my bare back. I had my arms wrapped around her, and her hips fell into the crooks of my elbows. Locks and strands of red hair lay streaked across her face, catching the sunlight in thin fibers and hiding half her face, leaving exposed a single green eye specked with darkened shards and a pool of blue spreading from the pupil, like spilled paint. The forest was deathly quiet, as if in some bizarre, respectful veneration of the act we had performed. I did not know then, as I know now, that all facets of the nuanced and subtle forest around us stood silent, not in celebration of our love, but in participation of it. Our passion had touched every corner of the clearing, leaving a permanent mark in the flesh of this world. I rested my hand on her face.

“Are you really here?” I asked, in disbelief.

“You tell me,” She answered. And then I knew that no matter what trials I faced with her at my side, we would always in some way be back in the forest.

(Tim Proser)

2008-12-14T12:01:00.000-08:00

Andtheniknew is updated on Sundays.

2008-12-07T19:41:00.000-08:00

She said "you can use my toothbrush if you want."

(Anonymous)

2008-12-07T19:37:00.000-08:00

My Honey continuously reminds me that he is my soul mate. I think the first time that I really knew we were supposed to be together forever was when, very early in our relationship, we were discussing names for children. For some reason it didn't even seem like an odd or awkward conversation. He said he would like to name his son Jack. He did not know this at the time but Jack was my grandfather's name and I had always wanted to name my child Jack. I hid my excitement but knew there was a certain connection between us that could never be denied. I love him. He is my strength. He lets me lose it and he helps me find it again. He keeps me true to myself and never lets me falter or worry about his love for me. He brings out the best part of me, the part of me that is truly me, being myself.

(Jennifer Vincent)

2008-12-07T19:35:00.001-08:00

I realized that there was absolutely nothing I could do to drive him away, and that there was nothing he could do to keep me from loving him, and then I knew.

(Anonymous)

2008-12-07T19:25:00.000-08:00

It was an epiphany that I had while in a plane, somewhere between West Virginia and Arkansas, someplace -- I'd guess -- between thirty and forty thousand feet.

(Anonymous)

2008-12-07T19:15:00.000-08:00

I was in college and my roommate invited me out with her friends. I asked her who was going. She listed off a couple of people I knew and then she got to this guy named Octavius. With an interesting name like that, I had to ask more. As my memory serves the conversation went a little like this:

Gracie: Well I met him at work...
Holli: Really (means he's a social worker)
Gracie: Actually, I'm trying to set him up with one of my friends but he'd be perfect for you
Holli: Excellent... tell me more ...what does he like
Gracie: He's a guitar player (I'm a sucker for musicians)
Holli: hmmm
Gracie: he's kindhearted (dah, he's a social worker =), has long hair (things change over time),
oh... and he listens to Bob Marley...
Holli: That sounds like my husband!!!

I really said that.. I really did and then I knew.....
we've been married for 6 years now and still going on strong!!!!

(Holli)

2008-12-07T19:00:00.001-08:00

Andtheniknew is updated on Sundays.

2008-11-23T21:02:00.000-08:00

I knew the moment I realized that, for the first time, being loved back didn't matter; my joy and happiness came just from experiencing and being amidst him.

(Wendy Kay)