This year I collected stickers from all the places I travelled and decorated my water bottle like a second grader decorates their notebook, hopeful for a new school year.

On Saturday, I wandered the quaint Michigan costal village of Saugatuck in hopes of purchasing my sticker souvenir, until one shop caught my eye.

I walked in, browsed, and reached for a sticker at the same time as a young girl handed her sticker to her dad to purchase. As we both waited in line, the banter began.

“Where are you from?”

The gentleman replied, “Toledo. What about you?”

“I used to live in a northwest suburb of Chicago but now I live in Santa Barbara California. Saugatuck is great, isn’t it?”

“Yes it it.”

“What brings you here?”

His eyes lit up like the moon lights a dark sky, “I’m getting married today.”

“Aww! Congrats! So sweet. My nephew is getting married today too.”

Anyone who knows me, knows I am sucker for love and not the ordinary Dum-Dum sucker kind of love; but the HUGE, over-the top Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, rainbow lollipop type of love, so that said, I encouraged the friendly stranger to tell me his story.

He gushed like Buckingham Fountain with pride as he told me about the journey that brought him to co-mingling families and having a beach wedding on Saturday.

He capped off the story with, “… it comes down to faith, hope, and love… She makes me a better person.”

I reciprocated and shared a bit of my journey and the soon-to-be groom replied, “You have to be open to love.”

I felt the nudge like God was tapping me on the shoulder saying, Pay attention, Lisa.

I finished paying for my sticker, walked out of the store with a little bounce in my step, hopeful like a bride on her wedding day.

Later in the day, I ran into the adorable soon-to-be bride and groom and asked to take their picture.

The beautiful beaming bride dished out wisdom like candy on Halloween. She said, “You have to be patient. You have to wait on God. I used to be strong and independent but you need to make space and let someone in.”

My mouth twitched as I thought, Strong? Independent? Let someone in? … GUILTY! GUILTY! GUILTY!

I wished them well, and thought, Wait on God but let someone in.

Later that evening, I celebrated my handsome nephew and his beautiful bride,

and posed for a picture with my kids.

As I am writing this, I am glancing at the photo of my children like a momma looks at her newborn baby. I am filled with so much joy and proud that they are living their best life, in New York and in Chicago. As for me, I am content and maybe this is a season of just that, contentment; but as two couples showed me this weekend, life is better with love.

I just felt the whisper It is coming! Wait for it!

“To everything there is a season… a time for love.” Ecclesiastes:1,8