My Love Relationship - A Personal Story

My friend Tina once told me:An open heart will bring two people together, though they are separated by time and space; a closed heart will keep people from knowing each other, even while gazing into each other’s eyes.

I know this to be true because I attracted my lovely bride into my life from nine thousand miles away! No, we didn’t meet online. And yes, I had done it wrong twice in my life before I got it right. This time, I went to visit my friend Gloria Ramirez, who also helped me with another amazing issue I will share with you soon. Gloria suggested I get off the internet and seek my relationship only by raising consciousness and trusting Divine Love to express through me. I had just been studying “ The Secret ” so I was clear that I needed to visualize, feel and expect a higher experience.

While visiting my Mom, we saw her friend, Gordon who had married a filipina named Myrna. I admired her for her character and mentioned to her that I had a close friend who was from the Philippines named Josie, who had been my friend for decades, since we studied Dale Carnegie in 1970, and how I admired her. I also knew and worked with several sweet Philippine ladies over the years. I told her I admired Gordon’s courage to just go to a foreign country, meet a woman and petition her so he could get married. I assured her I didn’t have that kind of courage.

Somehow, all that Myrna heard was, “Todd wants to marry a filipina.” She called her aunt in a remote area and gave her my address to give to a woman who turned out not to be available.

I don’t know if you understand or believe in feng shui , but it is a Chinese practice and includes arranging your home to attract the energies you prefer and to allow them to flow. I have, in my home, seven images/figurines of Merlin the Magician (in old times spelled Merlyn.) My future wife, Merlyn, called her aunt because Merlyn was working in Hong Kong and wasn’t able to locate her Mom by phone. The aunt gave Merlyn my address and instructed her to contact me and send a nice photo. Despite Merlyn’s doubts and protests about the methodology, she was obedient and wrote me a lovely letter in English. (Merlyn, it turns out, is well-educated and has sterling values and morals.)
When I realized she was twenty-five years old, I started making excuses why a sixty-two year old man was not a logical choice and why she should pursue a young man, have a family and live her rich, full life as I had. I also mentioned my thirty-six year old daughter, and that at my age, I would not be of a mind to start raising children.
Her response made it clear that she wanted love, caring and faithfulness. Nothing else mattered. I could do that!

I was surprised and fascinated so I pursued her slowly and cautiously from afar. I was concerned about her religious beliefs. Would they conflict and make us uncomfortable? I sent her the books I had written and she wrote back that she felt in harmony with my spiritual beliefs. This has been true throughout our marriage experience.

I checked in with my friend, an astrologer, who told us our charts were one in a million and that there was no way we could avoid being attracted to each other.

Life seems to have been waiting for us each to mature in different ways until we were perfect for each other. We were surely meant to meet and be together, of that I am certain. Nine thousand miles and eight million people on the planet were no obstacles to the Divine Plan I had been accidentally avoiding.

I knew she grew up on a farm in a bamboo hut without running water or electricity. I asked what it would cost for the two of us to live in the Philippines. She said we could live simply on about $300 per month US dollars in her home area.I gasped! How would I EVER find someone anywhere who was willing to marry me and live with me, on $300 a month? A match like ours could not easily be duplicated!

A couple of months later, I flew to Hong Kong and after a few moments of gazing into her eyes and a few serious discussions, I put a ring on her finger. As concerned as I was about the age difference, (I had been seeking women in their fifties online) it turned out that age has never been a problem.

After college she had taken a care-giver course. When my mom was notified that she had stage four cancer throughout her body, Merlyn and I went to Mom’s home and stayed with her. Mom told me that Merlyn’s abilities as a caregiver far exceeded the nursing service and the local Hospice people. It touched my heart to see Mom and Merlyn bond so deeply.
Incidentally, Mom had told me that she doubted me when I first came to her with discussions about Merlyn, but after knowing her, she could see what a perfect mate she was for me and what a blessing she was to our family . I have to admit, Mom’s approval and love for Merlyn meant and still means a great deal to me.

Merlyn is my love and pure joy in this life. We couldn’t ask for more. Yes, she was worth the long, long wait.
I share this personal story because it shows that through faith and wisdom beyond the human sense of things, my life was turned into the delight it now is. Thank you once again Gloria for turning my gaze to the right direction.