Let Destiny find its way.

Kat: I’ve said before that Andy and I met in 1995. It was autumn, I was moving into my own place, a basement suite on Wolf Street in Banff. As usual for those days, I had no furniture. I walked into Yogi’s Second Hand Store looking for a bed.

Andy remembers that meeting: “The first time she came in the store my mouth dropped and my cock went rigid. She was stunning. I was too chicken to make any kind of talk, rare for me since things like this would normally be easy. Her beauty was mesmerizing; it stopped me dead in my tracks.”

Kat: Here’s how I remember it: The guy working at Yogi’s was really friendly. He seemed to go out of his way to help me out, promising to keep an eye out for what I was looking for, which was a bed. And he kind of stayed behind the counter most of the time I was in the store…

Andy writes more about that: “So we started a conversation about what now my mind can’t remember, but she was there for a while. Before she left it was arranged that I would come to her place and make a log bed for her to sleep on. She left. I sat there dumbfounded and in love. Yeah, weird, for sure. Maybe it was lust, probably was, but back then I didn’t really know the difference between the two.”

Kat: I walked out of there feeling good. Friendly guy, a person I could trust. Nice to have a man looking out for me. I was pretty guarded back then, but I did count on his help with the bed. Little did I know that he was already imagining sleeping in it with me. Guys!

Andy tells more of the story: We became good friends but to this day it is still a blur. I remember spending time with her, always laughing but not really getting into anything too deep. By deep I mean really opening up to each other in telling our feelings, thoughts about life and relationships.

Kat: Yeah, we had fun. Nothing serious. We painted my place and he always fooled around and laughed. Once he painted over my back with a roller – I think I was wearing only a sports bra, or something like that. I didn’t want to get paint on my clothes, and I knew intuitively that I was safe with Andy. I think we were siblings – maybe twins – in another life. We just get each other. And we’re unbelievably compatible. Our values match on a very deep level.

Andy: Then one day she came in and told me that she started dating this guy and that we would have to cool it down.

Kat: I met Steph. In those exact days I was on the hunt for the father of my kids. Andy never wanted kids. He tells me we talked about that. I don’t remember the conversation, but it must have registered. At that point in my life, kids – well, kid -- were the bottom line: I was ready to meet the man who would bring them to me.

Andy: It hurt so badly, but I didn’t show it. I stood tall and took it like a man. Ha, more like a fool. What does that mean I took it like a man? It means I didn’t show any emotion. Now I think that it is a fool who doesn’t show emotion, not a man. A man is someone who allows his feelings to show whether it is sad, happiness, excitement, or weakness.

Kat: After I told Andy about Steph, we spent one more evening together. I owed him a massage, and I remember that experience. I honoured Andy that night for being a good man, for being my friend, and I was sorry that he wasn’t the one. But it wasn’t our time.

Andy: I went out to Vermillion Lake. Magic and I just sat in the weeds and thought! I'm sorry. It's too bad. I was really happy for her. But I'd be lying if I didn't tell you I wished it were me. Destiny? What is it?

Kat: Yeah, destiny. Good question. It’s a beautiful mystery. I don’t want all the answers.

Andy: Here’s what I wrote to her then:
When I return from seeing you
I sometimes feel so confused.
When times get rough
I fall back on my senses.
I can't help but feel so in love with you.
It's hard to play cool
but when you've fallen in love
it's tough to keep it in tune.
It's strange the way things turn.
One moment you feel so strong
then the next moment you feel so weak.
Don't give up because time will tell.
I must learn not to push a good thing,
take it as it comes.
Let Destiny find its way.
You see her walk,
you see her talk,
you see her smile,
the only thing you think of
is to make
and keep her
always so happy.
For when she's happy you're happy.

I've got to stand tall,
keep my senses in focus.
Don't let time beat you ... Don't give up.
Time will tell.
There's a time and place for love.

Nowhere in life is it written when or where
but try to grasp that moment when it's there.
For if you don't you will never feel her love.

The thing that can be so special
is when you both can feel so in love
and feel as one.
You look across a crowded room
and she gives you a smile.
That only you two know
that a love so strong is there.
It's nested between your hearts and souls.
Only the two of you can feel

Kat: And here’s what he wrote to me now ...

When I return to Canmore after seeing you and the boys
I feel so strong and happy.
When times get rough,
I fall back on my senses and know how much I am loved.

I can’t help but feel so in love with you.
It’s hard to play cool, but really who cares.
I’m just me with you.

I find that we are always in tune -- now and back then.

It’s strange the way things turned out.
One moment you think about life one way and the next the other way.
There are moments you feel strong and moments you feel weak.

I never gave up hope.
I did not push and I waited and our destiny found its way.
I see you walk.
I hear you talk.
I see you smile.
And, I will always make you happy.
For when you are happy I am happy.

I stand tall.
My senses are always on.
I never gave up hope, and time was on our side.
What is time?
Love was found!

Nowhere in life is it written when or where you will meet.
But, I grasped that moment when I found it.
Now, I know what love is. It is Kathleen.
We have found that love and feel as one.

I look across a crowded room
And she gives me a smile.
That smile tells me that I am hers and she is mine.
It is nested between our hearts and souls.

Not only do we feel it,
but also the world sees it too.
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