Change of Address

Chicken Soup for the Soul: True Love

There is no such thing as chance; and what seem to us merest accident springs from the deepest source of destiny.
~Johann Friedrich Von Schiller


After being "on the bench" and not dating for quite some time, with the exception of one disaster, I decided that marriage wasn't for me. As I drove home from work one evening, I suddenly found myself briefly looking towards the sky through my windshield and telling God, "Lord, I'm not getting married." Afterwards, I felt a huge sense of peace and continued making my way home down Los Angeles' 101 freeway, feeling sorry for all those other women in their forties who were practically howling at the moon every night because they wanted a husband so badly.

Two years later, my life had changed quite significantly. I was making less money and had just moved to an apartment in Burbank after selling the beloved condo I had lived in for nine years. I simply couldn't afford it any more. If that weren't enough, the oldest of my three cats, Risqué, had just been put to sleep. She had cancer and I didn't even know it. I was exhausted from all of the crying. I missed her so much. And, as if my heart wasn't already broken enough, it would break a little more every time I saw my two remaining cats, Esther and Joseph, looking for their sister.

After I had unpacked the last of the boxes, it dawned on me that while I had notified all of the appropriate parties regarding my change of address, I had yet to notify Bed Bath & Beyond. I needed some stuff for my new place and didn't want to miss getting any coupons they would be sending out in the near future. I called and was greeted by a very friendly voice. "Thank you for calling 1-800-GO-BEYOND. This is Jason. How may I help you?"

Jason proceeded to assist me with my change of address, but couldn't hold back his response when he heard the name of the street was I now living on. "Screenland Drive? Sounds like you live near a bunch of movie theaters," he said.

I quickly responded, "Oh, actually, I live by all the studios, like Disney, Warner Bros. and NBC."

"Well," he said. "I work here during the day, but I'm actually a musician. Would you like to see my website?"

I seized the opportunity to drum up some business for myself. "Sure! I'm a freelance writer, but I work a full-time day job for steady income, so I completely understand where you're coming from. As a matter of fact, if you're a musician, I can help you with your bio. Would you like to see my website?" Jason and I exchanged our website information and he completed my change of address request.

When I got home that night, I had completely forgotten about my promise to check out Jason's website. That is, until I logged into my e-mail and found a message from him. "Ah!" I thought to myself, "I forgot to check out that dude's website." I typed the URL into the address bar. Alright, so he was handsome and I noticed. The photo I was looking at was the cover of his latest CD. I then proceeded to read the page, which by the way, was written very poorly.

I could see that Jason was based in New Jersey and as it turns out, is a vibraphonist who was mentored by Lionel Hampton. I was familiar with his music. Jason also had a couple of Grammy ballot nominations under his belt. Quite impressive, but the guy really did need some help in the writing department. His website was a mess.

I responded to Jason's e-mail and complimented him on his accomplishments. I then closed my message in a businesslike manner, stating that I was looking forward to possibly serving his writing needs in the future.

The next night, there was another e-mail from Jason waiting for me. This time, he asked me if I was married with children. I started typing a response. "If you read my bio then you saw that I am studying to become a licensed minister, which is something I take very seriously. So, if these e-mails become inappropriate, I will let you know! I am not a desperate woman." My keyboard was practically smoking! Then my phone rang.

"Hello, Anji. This is Jason Taylor. I just sent you an e-mail, but I thought I would go ahead and give you a call. I know you know the Lord. That's why I wanted to talk to you. I know we were discussing you doing some writing work for me and I still intend on having you do that, but there is something else I want to talk to you about." I couldn't imagine anything this guy would need to talk with me about besides writing. So, I braced myself, ready to hang up, if necessary. He began to speak. "I don't know how to say this, so I'm just going to say it. I went to your website last night, and after reading your bio, I do believe you're the woman I've been praying for." Jason then began to speak in a language he knew I would understand -- scripture. "Don't limit God, Anji. Because with God, nothing is impossible." Those words immediately warmed my heart and in spite of the way I felt about marriage, I was willing to listen to what he had to say.

After a few conversations with Jason, he and I decided to give a long distance relationship a try. Because of the distance, he jumped through a lot of hoops and met a lot of people who were interested in my wellbeing. We all needed to make sure he was the gentleman he presented himself to be. After we got married, I moved to the East Coast, making it necessary for me to change my address again.

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