How can it be that somewhere in the second half of my life, I am just beginning to really live? It seems that the first half was spent devising and carrying out a blueprint for my life: education, marriage, more education, children. I got lost in that list. I became hollow, unloving and lonely. I am grateful to my children for bringing me face to face with the illusion of control. There are some things that defy our tenacity and intelligence. You cannot control other people's choices and thoughts. When I accepted that, I had to face the emptiness. When you stop trying to conrol other people, you suddenly find yourself with a lot more time on your hands. I threw out the list and there I found myself. Something amazing happened: I got happy. All by myself. But I no longer felt lonely. I began to understand that I was part of something much bigger than myself; that within that huge vibrational web, I would thrive and find my true path. And that's where I've found my best friends, my true self. I travelled by myself and there in Italy, I found my soulmate. We could have missed each other entirely. He missed his plane from Belgium the night before and almost postponed his trip. He decided against it, compelled to get to Rome that morning. And there, our paths crossed. I am awestruck that life can work this way, grateful that mine has. I am living proof that hope is real medicine. Thank you, Al-Anon, therapy, prayer, meditation and everyone of you out there trying to find your true paths. Take courage. Have hope.