This is an excerpt.
John Blanchard was a soldier.
One day, in a library, he found an old book with a lot of writing in the margins. He read her handwritten notes in the book and admired their deep insights. At the front cover, he saw that the book was previously owned by a certain Hollis Maynell.
With much effort, he located her address. He wrote to her and told her about her old book and how he liked her written notes.
And she responded, thanking him for his kind words.
But that day, he was shipped overseas to fight in a war.
Still, they kept writing to each other. During the difficult times at the battlefield, her words inspired him and gave him hope.
Little by little, John was falling in love with her.
He requested for a photo, but she replied that if he really cared for her, it won’t matter how she looked.
Finally, he was going home.
They decided to meet at the Grand Central Station at 7pm.
He said he’d be in his soldier’s uniform bringing her old book.
And she said, “You’ll know me by the red rose I’ll wear on my lapel.”
When the train arrived at 7pm, John was there, wearing his neatly pressed military uniform, with her old book in his hand.
The first woman to step off the train was a beautiful woman in a green suit. But there was no red rose on her blouse.
John was disappointed. But she was so lovely, he kept looking at her. She walked in front of him, glanced at him with a smile, and asked, “Are you following me, soldier?”
A part of him wanted to follow.
But no, he had to wait for Hollis Maynell.
The next woman who stepped off the train had a red rose on her lapel. She was perhaps 45 years old. She had graying hair beneath her hat. And she was very overweight. Meantime, the beautiful woman in the green suit was walking away.
John was torn.
Yet he looked again at the woman who was wearing the red rose. He remembered her letters and what a fascinating a person she was. He remembered how wonderful her words made him feel. He told himself, “This may not be love. But this may be more than love. This will be a beautiful friendship with a lovely person.”
He walked up to her, straightened himself, handed the book to her and said, “My name is Lieutenant John Blanchard. You must be Ms. Hollis Maynell. I’m so glad you could meet me. May I have dinner with you tonight?”
The woman smiled. “I don’t know what this is about, son,” she answered, “but the young lady in the green suit asked me to wear this red rose on my coat. She also said that if you asked me out for dinner, she said she’d be waiting for you in the big restaurant across the street. She said it was some kind of test!”
Your Choices Shape Your Destiny
Imagine the end of this story: John and Hollis getting married, having kids, and growing old together.
Because he lived deliberately.
Because he made the right choice.
Because he passed the test.
Friend, life is a series of tests.
And your choices—your answers to the test—will shape your destiny!
Sometimes, it’s a choice between love or lust.
Sometimes, it’s a choice between selfishness or selflessness.
Sometimes, it’s between what your heart wants and what your flesh wants.
Sometimes, it’s between what will bless you forever and what will give you pleasure this moment only.
Your life is really all up to you.
You’re the chef of your meal.
You’re the architect of your house.
You’re the scriptwriter of your movie.
You’re the composer of your song.
You’re the painter of your masterpiece.
At the end of the day, you decide how happy, fulfilled, and blessed you want to become.
-From the Soulfood Newsletter of Mr. Bo Sanchez
Come to think of it. Our life is not always about fate or destiny. It is more about the decisions we make and that would tell us what we will become and where we will be in this life, how we will go through our lives and who we're gonna spend the rest of our lives with. -TsoCoLate-
