Keith and Serpil

Our story is one to be reflected upon:
Life is so short, and time runs fast, cherish every moment before it becomes a memory.

Ours is a story of two people at the same point in life: kids raised, successful jobs, but alone, and
looking for that special someone to share forever with. All that changed on March 3, 2019.

In walks fate. After several uneventful dating experiences, each of us had secretly decided to give the
online dating game one last chance. We each expected our encounter would be just like all the rest.
Then the search would be over, and life would go on as it was before.

After this meeting, the search WAS over, but not in the way we had anticipated. To our surprise, we had
a connection! Our relationship quickly grew into something very special. By early May, we both knew
we had found our life partner and were meant to be together forever.

We were very happy together. We couldn’t believe we had finally found our soulmates! We
discovered our purpose together and had plans for our future that included our kids, family, friends, and
others who needed us. We wanted our children to see our unselfish, unconditional love and respect for
each other. We would make plans together and grow old together. That was our destiny.

Little did we know that our “forever,” at least on this earth, would only last 16 short months. When
Covid-19 hit, we talked about the risks every day: Him travelling to job sites and me going into the
clinic. We took every precaution to protect ourselves and our future together. But. . .

So Many Questions:

1. Who could have known that our Memorial Day trip to the beach would be the last time he saw
   the sun come up over the ocean?

2. Who could have known that the selfie we took that morning after kayaking at sunrise would be
   our last?

3. Who could have known that the words I wrote out of the seashells he collected on the beach
   that day and the ones he had pressure-washed on the driveway would be our last “I love
   you” to each other?

Is there a higher plan? Or is it just life?

1. Did God bring us together to fill the emptiness and make us whole?

2. Did He bring us together to give him happiness in his last days?

3. Did God give me the man of my dreams, who just happened to be an accomplished architect,
   more specifically, a “building envelope expert,” who fixed my leaking chimney when no one
   had been able to for 12 years?

4. Was there a reason for this love story to end when it had only just begun?

5. Was this just a cruel twist of fate, or a lesson to learn from?

6. Do we take what life throws at us and make the best of it while it lasts, knowing that everything
   is just temporary?

7. Or is there some Divine message to be heard?