A story from the Internet ... I cried when I read it, in some ways it reminded me of my life ...

Here read!!! At the age of 25, I began to live civil marriage with Alexei, he is 5 years older than me. Everything was fine, the "civil husband" loved me. I got pregnant at the age of 28, and at the 7th month I found out that the “husband” has a mistress, seven years younger than me. I read a text message on his phone: “Sweetie, why wait for you today?” And he left, saying that business, business, and all sorts of excuses, he came in the morning ... To save my marriage, I didn’t show that I knew about her, washed it for him, cooked five different dishes a day, cleanliness at home, everything was ironed, starched. And there is no one to complain to, cry, I myself am from the orphanage. When I was in the hospital, he brought her to our house, a neighbor came in the evening, he, not ashamed, opened the door, his mistress came out of the bath in my dressing gown ... Well, these are all trifles. The daughter was born restless, she cried at night, he referred to the fact that he could not sleep (we had studio apartment ) allegedly went to a friend, to spend the night with his brother. I endured everything, because I wanted the child to have a father, I tried in every possible way to save our marriage. He often insulted me that I was stupid, ugly, fat (I gained 10 kg after giving birth), that the wives of his friends always look good, are well dressed, and I am a redneck from the orphanage. He began to raise his hand to me: she cooked it wrong, put it wrong, the child was yelling, shut him up. I began to kick him out of the house, but I have nowhere to go, I cry, on my knees I beg him not to kick us out into the street. I was on maternity leave, I received a penny, my milk was gone, he stopped giving money for groceries. I didn’t eat at home myself, I only slept sometimes, washed, changed clothes and left. Often he began to beat me, just like that, for no reason, for the fact that his life was broken, that I live in his apartment, that I gave birth to him and not she ... This went on for five months. And then one “beautiful” day he appears on the threshold of our house with her, with her mistress Irina, and says that I have half an hour to pack my things and leave ... (only his apartment was). I cried and begged not to kick us out, I knelt down and said that we had nowhere to go, to which I got a kick in the stomach ... He shouted: “Look at you, fat creature, look at Irina (Irina is beautiful, slender, in expensive clothes, with hair) how can I live with you. So, on a frosty winter evening, I left the apartment with a five-month-old baby in my arms and went out into the street ... I remember that day well. It’s dark outside, seven o’clock in the evening, it’s snowing lightly, the lanterns are shining ... I’m standing in an autumn trigger, in autumn boots in one hand a small bag with things ... in the other an envelope with a baby, I didn’t even have a pram. He did not give me his mobile phone, because he bought it ... Where to go? I had only 18 rubles in my pocket. I was going nowhere, I no longer cried, I had nothing to cry with and could neither speak nor cry. I had nowhere to go, my “husband” kept everyone away from me, there were only family friends, his friends. Before the decree, I worked as a nurse in a hospital, I went there. I tearfully asked our doctor on duty to let me spend the night in the hospital. I was allowed, but for one night. In the morning I went to a pawnshop and pawned gold earrings and a chain, which was valued at 7,000 rubles. On the same day, I rented a room in a wooden house from an old woman, for 4 thousand a month. I had no bed linen, towels, nothing. Marya Sergeevna, the mistress of the house, was then 62 years old, she was very ill, she could hardly walk. After listening to my story, she said that she would help me with the child, she would sit, that I had to look for a job, she had no children of her own, her son had died. It was difficult to find a job, there is no higher education, I did not finish my studies for one year. And then another blow, the “husband” drove up to me on the street and said that he would no longer pay the loan for the car. (The loan was issued to me, and the car to the “husband”) ... He threatened that if I applied for alimony, he would deprive me parental rights, because I don't have a home and I don't have a steady income. I got a job as a cleaner in a fish shop, for 4 thousand rubles, in the evening I ran a dishwasher in a cafe for 3 thousand rubles, on foot for 7 km. But there was not enough money for a loan, you have to pay 8800 rubles. a month for two years ... and even pay for the room. At night I knitted socks and mittens and sold them in the market, in the cold I stood in a bologna jacket and autumn boots. In the evenings I went to the market for a part-time job sorting out rotten vegetables and fruits, in the cold, with icy hands, those that were unusable, cut off and brought home to my daughter. I went to work as a janitor from 5 am to 7 am. I looked at women passing by in expensive cars, they were all beautiful, well-groomed, and for some reason then I thought about them, they were lucky, they have winter clothes, and they are warm, and they are not hungry ... Many thanks to Marya Sergeevna for sitting with my daughter. I came home at one in the morning, washed my children's things, went to bed at two to get up at 4.30 for work. I didn’t get enough sleep, didn’t eat up, often got sick and steadily fainted. My eyesight fell, I lost 18 kg. My hands were trembling, I was of blue color. Money was sorely lacking. I didn’t buy things for myself for 2 years, I began to look like a homeless woman. I didn’t have the strength, but I didn’t give up, I worked through my teeth, because I didn’t want my child to be taken to an orphanage, I myself know what it is from there. I cleaned the apartments, washed the entrances, earned as much as I could. I lived like this for 4 years. I will not describe in detail all the horror through which I had to go. Having gone through humiliation, pain, hunger, tears, a loan for a car that my ex drives around, I paid off everything myself, with my own hands, with my health, with my tears. Life began to change rapidly. The Lord sent me a woman - the owner of an elite apartment, which I cleaned, she took pity on me and offered to work for her as a secretary, the salary was 15 thousand, I was shocked ... She gave me an advance on clothes, helped to arrange a child in the garden. Everything started to improve. I went to computer courses, graduated from the institute as a lawyer. Two years later, I was promoted, I became a manager, then a commercial director in a large company, with a large salary I mortgaged a 3-room apartment, bought a car, made a chic home renovation, recently went on vacation with my daughter to Italy, France. My daughter goes to private school and doesn't need anything. She calls Marya Sergeevna grandmother, we help her and go to visit. A man is looking after me, a very good one, the director of a construction company ... And here is fate! I am buying a country house on the ad - a summer house with a bathhouse with a house. The hostess said on the phone that she urgently sells the cottage, because. big debts and some problems and urgently need money. We drive up to the dacha, me, girlfriend and daughter. Sellers of the house come out, who do you think ?! My former roommate and his mistress! I am in shock, they are in shock ... I look at them and all these years have flown before my eyes ... that same winter evening, when light snow falls and lanterns are lit, I am with a five-month-old envelope ... and 18 rubles in my pocket ... I am standing by an expensive car, in an expensive fur coat, worth as much as this whole dacha, beautiful, slender and well-groomed, he is bald, pot-bellied, flabby, the one who kicked me in the stomach when I begged not to kick us out, and she is a fat woman weighing 100 kilograms ... So we stood ten minutes in silence ... Do you know what I did? I went up to him and spat in his face, with all my urine, with all my dope. He didn't even move... Never despair, never, do you hear me? Never! Life will change and everything will be with you! Learn, work, strive for the best! Remembering what I had to go through and what has become of me now, I repeat: never give up and do not let yourself be humiliated!

Remember, mom, when I was little, I asked you what will happen to me when I grow up. You thought that I had kind eyes and a warm smile, and this is the main advantage of a girl and a woman. The most important thing is not to forget how to smile at people and look at them with love. I tried not to unlearn, mom. Sometimes it was so hard, you know. But I remembered your words that love is never easy. However, it was worth it. And so it was...

/ Touching stories

Surely, you have already heard many banal stories about prostitutes and their hard lives. Today, I will tell you a story in which there is no place for poor provincial women who came to conquer the capital. There is no place for the unfortunate orphans who are forced to earn their daily bread for themselves and seven younger brothers. And you will not find even offended top models who fell into the hands of insidious bandits in this story. There will be no drug addicts, no nymphets, no alcoholics, no nymphomaniacs, no lesbians, or any other banal nonsense. Today, I will tell the story of an extraordinary girl with a simple Russian name - Alena ...

/ Touching stories

In honor of all dads and soon-to-be dads, we're kicking off a countdown of the top 5 amazing dads in the animal kingdom who play their role very well. loving parent and even go far beyond the manifestation of ordinary paternal care. As for all wives and mothers, you simply cannot help but fall in love with these amazing creatures and their amazing responsibility and devotion. They have a lot to learn!

/ Touching stories

Hey! How was your day today? Did you wake up, have breakfast, go to work, study, go to the movies, dance, eat pizza or just take a walk in the park? What interesting thing happened to you today? Chatted with friends, laughed, had fun? If so, are you happy man.

/ Touching stories

Depriving a person of the possibility of social adaptation, nature generously "rewards" him with extraordinary abilities - it is among autists that a high percentage of brilliant mathematicians, musicians and artists is observed. Creativity, expression and versatility - all this reveals unusual talents to us.

/ Touching stories

/ Touching stories

Without knowing grief, we will not know what happiness is. Without getting sick, we will not learn to value health. Probably, trials are sent not only so that the person himself becomes even stronger, but also finds a way to help others. And so it was with the hero of this story.

/ Touching stories

What kind of courage, willpower, patriotism do you need to have in order not to be afraid of weapons, torture, and torment at a young age? When and how did these young guys, Soviet pioneers and Komsomol members, learn to control themselves so that when communicating with the enemy, they would not betray themselves and their comrades by word, gesture, or glance? And this is in some 14, 15, 16 years! The age when you just stop playing with dolls and start falling in love for the first time...

“Today I returned to work for the first time after a year that I was on disability leave. There was an explosion at the factory where I work, as a result of which I was deaf in both ears. My return was a real holiday for me. see you!”, “Welcome!”, “We missed you”, and nine of my colleagues even learned sign language during my absence to make it easier for them to communicate with me and understand me.”

“Today I would visit her in the hospital for the 127th time, as I did all the previous 126 days that she was in a coma. At night I dreamed that she had died. I woke up and lay in bed wondering if I could learn live without her. And then the phone rang. It was her."

“This morning, I stopped on my way to work to help a woman change a tire. And this afternoon, this woman saved my life by accidentally meeting me in the city center and pulling me out of the road onto the sidewalk when some driver decided to rush through a red light.”

"I worked as a parenting consultant for 15 years. Years later, I ran into one of my charges. He was difficult child, constantly upset and angry at life. Once I drew Superman for him and wrote the words about how superheroes never give up and always win in the end. Now this boy is a firefighter, he saves the lives of others. We chatted with him for about half an hour, and then, before parting, he opened his wallet and showed me my Superman drawing, which he still keeps.”

"I have diabetes. My mother died two years ago and I adopted her cat Keith. Recently at three in the morning I woke up to the fact that Keith was sitting at my feet and meowing. I had never heard him do this before so loud and insistent. I got up to see what was happening and suddenly felt very weak. I grabbed the glucometer to check the level of glucose in the blood. It dropped to 53, while the doctor told me that the normal level is 70- 120. Later in the hospital I was told that if Keith had not woken me up, I might not have woken up.”

"Ten years ago my best friend became ill and needed a kidney transplant. I decided to become a donor for her. Today she has a wedding. She's getting married to a man she met 10 years ago in the hospital. And I'm a bridesmaid."

“There was a time when I could barely make ends meet. Once I didn’t have enough money to pay at the supermarket. When I started to unload extra products from the cart, the man who was standing behind me in line paid my check. I thanked him and he said that a few years ago someone did the same for him. He repaid the debt and now hope that someday I will do the same for someone.”

“Today, exactly ten months after a severe stroke, my dad got out of his wheelchair for the first time, unassisted, to dance the father-bride dance with me.”

"A big stray dog ​​was chasing me from the subway almost to my house. I was already starting to get nervous. But suddenly, right in front of me, a guy with a knife in his hands appeared from somewhere and demanded my wallet. Before I could react, the dog attacked him. He threw the knife and I ran away. Now I'm home, safe and all thanks to that dog.”

“Today my son, whom I adopted eight months ago, called me mom for the first time.”

"My dad - best dad that one can only dream of. He's great for mom. loving husband, for me, a caring father who never missed a single of my football matches, plus he is an excellent host in the house. This morning I reached into my father's toolbox for pliers and found an old note. It was a page from his diary. The recording was made exactly one month before I was born, it said "I am an alcoholic with a criminal past, who was kicked out of college, but for the sake of my unborn daughter, I will change and become the best father in the world. I will become for her the dad that I never had.” I don't know how he did it, but he did it.”

"I have a patient who suffers from a severe form of Alzheimer's disease. He rarely remembers his name, where he is and what he said a minute ago. But one part of his memory, by some miracle, remains untouched by the disease. He remembers his wife perfectly. Every morning he greets her with the words: "Hi, my beautiful Kate." Perhaps this miracle is called love.”

“During the school fire evacuation today, I ran outside to find the head bully in the class and saw him holding the hand of a tearful little girl and comforting her.”

“On the day my grandson had a graduation, we started talking and I complained that I never got to my graduation ball, because no one invited me. In the evening, the doorbell rang, I opened the door and saw my grandson in a tuxedo. He came to invite me to his graduation.”

“Already after my daughter’s funeral, I decided to clear the messages on my phone. I deleted all incoming messages, but one remained unread. It turned out that this was the last message from my daughter, which was lost among the rest. It said: “Dad, I want you knew I was fine."

Today I stopped on my way to work to help an elderly man change a flat tire. When I got closer to him, I immediately recognized him. It was the fireman who pulled me and my mother out of a burning house 30 years ago. He and I chatted for a bit, then shook hands and simultaneously said, “Thank you.”

“When my wife gave birth to our first child and my family and I were waiting for her in the hospital, my father had a heart attack. He was immediately treated. The doctors said that he was very lucky, because if he had not been in the hospital during an attack, they might not have had time to help him. So my son saved my father’s life.”

"I am a florist. Today a soldier came to me. He is leaving to serve for a year, but before that he decided to place an order, according to which his wife will receive a bouquet of flowers from him every Friday during this year. I made a 50% discount for him, because he made my day happy.”

"Today I came to the hospital to visit my grandfather with pancreatic cancer. When I sat down next to him, he squeezed my hand tightly and said:" Every day, waking up, thank life for what you have, because every second somewhere, fighting desperately to keep it that way.”

“Today, I watched in horror from my kitchen window as my two-year-old son slipped while playing near the pool and fell into it. But before I could come to the rescue, our Labrador Rex pulled him out of the water by the scruff of the neck.”

There was a fire in my house, which the scars on my face will remind me of for a long time to come. It's been two months since I returned to school after being hospitalized and for two months every day someone has pinned a red rose to my locker. I even tried to get to class early to find out who was doing it, but the rose was always there already.

When I was little, my mother hummed the same tune all the time when she put me to bed. When I was eighteen and my mother was in the cancer ward, we switched roles and I sang this song to her every night. A lot of time has passed since my mother died and I almost forgot this song, and today my fiancé, stroking at me, suddenly began to hum it. I asked him how he knew this motive and he replied that in childhood his mother sang this song to him.

Today my son is 7 years old and I am 23 years old. I gave birth to him when I was 16. Having become pregnant, I doubted for a long time whether I could raise a child. Today in the park during a birthday celebration, my son played for a very long time with a little girl whose face was deeply scarred, and when we were already walking home, he said to me: “Mom, she is so beautiful.” I am very glad that seven years ago I made the right choice.

Today, a little girl who had an accident was brought to our hospital. She needed a rare blood type. Her parents and twin brother, who had the same rare group as her, arrived at the hospital. I explained to him that his sister needed blood and that it was a matter of life and death. He thought about something for a second, and then, after saying goodbye to his parents, he went with me to the ward. When we finished with him and I told him that he could rest, he suddenly asked me: “How? Am I not going to die?” That is, at the moment when he agreed to donate his blood, he was sure that it would kill him, but for the sake of his sister, he was ready to give his life.

Today my little brother came into my room and I yelled at him to come out without even looking at him. When I turned to him, I saw that he had a plate of cherries in his hands, which he had washed and cleaned especially for me ...

Today my daughter came home from school and asked me to find a website where she can learn sign language. When I asked why she needed it, she replied that a new girl, he is deaf and dumb and knows only sign language, so she has no one to talk to at all

My grandfather was in the hospital and had 12-14 hours to live. Everyone came to say goodbye to him, knowing that she still could not answer. I entered the room when it was my turn. I am his only granddaughter. When he heard me, he opened his eyes, smiled and said my name.

A girl in Kazan was abandoned by a taxi driver when she, paying the driver in the dark, confused banknotes in her purse: she gave him 5,000 rubles. The man noticed this and caught up with her already at the entrance to return the money. “Take it, I don’t need someone else’s! I'll lose more if I cheat. Why do I need this, I believe in God. Taking someone else's is a big sin,” the driver explained.

This morning I found out who mowed my lawn every week since my husband died. It was my 12-year-old neighbor Ophelia. Her family is now also suffering due to financial problems. She did it every week own will, without any request. Her kindness gives me hope.

Once, when I was a teenager, my father and I stood in line for tickets to the circus. Finally, only one family remained between us and the cash register window. She made a big impression on me. There were eight children under the age of 12. It was evident that the family was not rich, but their clothes, although inexpensive, were clean. The children behaved well, standing in pairs behind their parents and holding hands. The kids were talking excitedly, looking forward to the joy of seeing clowns, elephants and other numbers of the program. It was clear that they had never been to the circus before, and for them this evening was to be unforgettable.

Father and mother, who led the group were clearly proud of each other. The woman held her husband's hand, and her gaze seemed to say: "You are my knight." And he smiled back, radiant with pride, and seemed to answer: "So it is." The cashier asked the man how many tickets he needed. He answered with dignity: "Please, eight children's tickets and two adults - for my family."

The cashier named the amount. The woman released her husband's hand and lowered her head sadly, the man's lips trembled, and he leaned closer, asking again about the price of tickets. The cashier repeated the total. The man did not have enough money. How could he turn to his eight children and say he didn't have enough money to take them to the circus?

Seeing what was happening, my father pulled a twenty-dollar bill out of his pocket and dropped it on the ground. (We were not rich in every sense of the word!) Then the father raised the money, patted the man on the shoulder and said: “ I'm sorry sir, it fell out of your pocket." The man understood everything.

He did not ask for help, but, of course, he appreciated her, so conveniently arrived in time in a desperate and awkward situation. He looked my father straight in the eyes, took his hand in his and, squeezing it tightly together with the banknote, with tears in his eyes said: “Thank you, thank you, sir. It really means a lot to me and my family.”

My father and I got back to the car and drove home. We didn't go to the circus that evening, but our day was not wasted.

Touching stories rarely appear on the front pages, which is probably why it seems that nothing good and good is happening in the world. But as these little love stories show, beautiful things happen every day.

They're all from a site called Makesmethink, a place where people share their pause-to-think stories, and we're sure you'll agree that these little funny stories are thought-provoking. Be careful though: some of them can lift your spirits, while others can move you to tears...

“Today I realized that my dad is the best dad I could ever dream of! He is my mom’s loving husband (always makes her laugh), he comes to all my football matches since my 5 years old (now I am 17 ) and is a real stronghold for our family.

This morning, while looking through my dad's toolbox for pliers, I found a dirty, folded piece of paper at the bottom. It was an old diary entry in my father's handwriting, dated exactly one month before my birthday. It read: "I am 18 years old, I am an alcoholic who is being kicked out of college, a victim of abuse with children, a man with a conviction for car theft. And next month, "teenage father" will be added to that list. But I swear that from now on I will do everything right for the sake of my little girl. I'll be the father I never had. And I don't know how he did it, but he did it."

"Today I told my 18-year-old grandson that when I was in school, no one invited me to prom. That same evening, he showed up at my house in a tuxedo and took me to his prom as a date."

"My 88-year-old grandmother and her 17-year-old cat are both blind. Usually, her guide dog leads her around the house. But lately, the dog also leads her cat around the house. When the cat meows, the dog comes up to her and rubs about her, after which she follows him to her feed, to her "toilet", to the other end of the house to sleep, and so on.

"Today, as I was coming to my office door at 7 am (I'm a florist), I saw a uniformed soldier waiting. He stopped by on his way to the airport - leaving for one year in Afghanistan. He said: "Usually every Friday I bring home a bunch of flowers to my wife and don't want to disappoint her while I'm gone." He then placed an order for 52 bouquets of flowers to be delivered to his wife's office every Friday afternoon. discount".

“Today I walked my daughter down the aisle. Ten years ago, I carried a 14-year-old boy out of his mother’s SUV on fire after a serious accident. Doctors initially said that he would never walk. My daughter visited him in the hospital several times with me "Then I began to come to him myself. Today I watch him, contrary to all the forecasts of doctors, stand at the altar on his two legs and smile, putting a ring on my daughter's finger."

“Today, by mistake, I accidentally sent my father a message saying “I love you” that I wanted to send to my husband. A few minutes later I received a reply: “I love you too. Dad. "It was so! We so rarely say words of love to each other."

“Today, when she came out of a coma that she was in for 11 months, she kissed me and said:“ Thank you for being here and telling me these beautiful stories without losing faith in me ... And yes, I will come out marry you".

"Today we have a 10-year wedding anniversary, but since my husband and I have recently been unemployed, we agreed not to give each other any gifts this time. When I woke up in the morning, my husband was already up. I went downstairs and saw beautiful field flowers scattered all over the house. There were about 400 flowers in total, and he didn't spend a dime on them."

"Today my blind friend explained to me in vivid colors how beautiful his new girlfriend is."

"My daughter came home from school and asked where she could learn sign language. I asked her why she needed it, and she replied that they had a new girl at school, that she was deaf, understood only sign language, and she could not who to talk to."

“Today, two days after my husband’s funeral, I received a bouquet of flowers that he ordered for me a week ago. The note read: “Even if the cancer wins, I want you to know that you are the girl of my dreams.”

"Today I reread the suicide letter I wrote on September 2, 1996 - 2 minutes before my girlfriend appeared at the door and said:" I'm pregnant. "I suddenly felt that I had a reason to live. Now she is my wife "We have been happily married for 14 years. And my daughter, who is almost 15 years old, has two younger brothers. I reread my dying letter from time to time to feel gratitude again - gratitude for having received a second chance at life and love." .

"Today my 12-year-old son Sean and I went to the nursing home together for the first time in months. I usually come by myself to visit my mother who has Alzheimer's disease. When we entered the lobby, the nurse saw my son and said: " Hey Sean!" "How does she know your name?" I asked him. "Oh, I just pop in here on my way home from school to say hello to my grandma," Sean replied. I didn't even know that.

“Today, a woman who is due to have her larynx removed due to cancer enrolled in my sign language class. Her husband, four children, two sisters, brother, mother, father, and twelve close friends also enrolled with her in the same group. to be able to talk to her after she loses the ability to speak aloud."

"Recently, I went to a second-hand bookstore and bought a copy of a book that was stolen from me when I was a child. I was so surprised when I opened it and realized that it was the same stolen book! On the first page was my name and the words written by my grandfather: "I really hope that many years later this book will again be in your hands, and you will read it again."

“Today I was sitting on a park bench eating my sandwich when I saw an elderly couple stop their car at a nearby oak tree. They rolled down the windows and turned on jazz music. Then the man got out of the car, walked around it, opened the front door where the woman was sitting , extended his hand and helped her out. After that, they moved away from the car for a few meters, and the next half danced slowly under the oak. "

“Today, I was horrified to see through my kitchen window how my 2-year-old daughter slipped and fell headfirst into the pool. But before I could reach her, our Rex Labrador Retriever jumped after her, grabbed her by the collar of her shirt and pulled her up the stairs to the stairs. shallow water where she could already stand on her feet.

"Today on the plane I met the most beautiful woman. Assuming that I was unlikely to see her again after the flight, I complimented her on this occasion. She smiled at me with her most sincere smile and said: "No one has said such words to me for the last 10 years." It turned out that we were both born in the mid-1930s, both without a family, have no children and live almost 8 kilometers from each other. We agreed on a date next Saturday after we get home."

“Today, when I found out that my mother came home from work early because she had the flu, I drove home from school to Wal-Mart to buy her a can of soup. There I ran into my father, who was already at the checkout. He paid for 5 cans of soup, a pack of cold medicine, disposable tissues, tampons, 4 DVDs of romantic comedies and a bunch of flowers. My dad made me smile."

“Today, I served a table for an elderly couple. The way they looked at each other... it was obvious that they loved each other. When the man mentioned that they were celebrating their anniversary, I smiled and said, “Let me guess. You two have been together for a very, very long time.” They laughed and the lady said, “Actually, no. Today is our 5th anniversary. We both outlived our spouses, but fate gave us another chance to experience love."

"Today, my grandparents, who were just over 90 and married for 72 years, died one after the other one hour apart."

"I'm 17 years old, I've been with my boyfriend Jake for 3 years, and last night was our first time together. We've never done 'this' before, there was no 'this' last night either. Instead we baked cookies, watched two comedies, laughed, played Xbox and fell asleep in each other's arms.Despite my parents' warnings, he behaved like a gentleman and best friend!"

"Today is exactly 20 years since I, risking my life, saved a woman drowning in the fast flow of the Colorado River. And that's how I met my wife - the love of my life."