Love Revealed Herself

Thirty-six year old Gabriela walked into my office and darted toward the rust colored client’s couch. She sobbed uninterrupted for five minutes.

"What are the tears about, Gabriela?"

“Two weeks ago I broke up with my boyfriend, Zach. I thought he was my basherte. (soulmate in Yiddish) I thought he was the one I would spend the rest of my life with. I was wrong. I can’t sleep. I can’t focus, and yesterday, my boss told me that I was on probation. So I need to get over this man and move on. I can’t continue like this. Please help me.“

Zach and Gabriela were together for six months until the relationship unraveled.

Gabriela sat on the same rust-colored couch for months as we processed the anger, the love, the hurt, the questions, the rejection, the longing.

My affection for Gabriela flourished. Her grief dissipated over time. She began dating and traveling. She was promoted at work. Things went back to a new normal. The doubt remained. Would she soon find her basherte?

Then, her cell phone rang. Zach’s picture popped up. She let it go to voicemail.

A few hours later, she called me.

“Gabriela?”

“I’m sorry to bother you in the middle of the afternoon but Zach called and wants to see me. I don’t want to see him. My friends are asking me why I want to open myself up to being hurt again and frankly, Rabbi, I agree with them. What do you think?“

My intuition kicked in and I blurted out, “You must meet him, Gabriela. You need to find out what he wants from you or for you. Does he hold an explanation or an apology or both. It took a lot of courage for him to call. Go meet him. Talk to him. Let the mystery of this moment reveal itself.”

She was surprised by my resolute response. And, so was I.

A few weeks went by before Gabriela came back with an update.

The tears of sorrow turned into tears of joy. She shared her Taylor Swift love story one note at a time.

Last week Zachary, Gabriela and I had dinner together to celebrate their engagement. Love revealed herself right on time.