Love at First Sight: Not a Myth

A few months ago, one of my friend’s teenage daughter watched While You Were Sleeping and snorted in disbelief because the heroine married someone she’d known for only a week.

One criticism I often hear about romance novels is the “unreality” of how quickly romantic relationships develop.

Short courtships don’t bother me. I believe in them. My parents knew each other 3 months before they got married–nearly 61 years ago. I started dating TV Stevie at the end of March; our wedding was August 8 of the same year. That was 27 years ago. But those were long relationships . . . compared to my sister.

On August 5, my sister met the roommate of a cousin’s boyfriend. On August 29, she married him. That’s twenty-four days.

While that is amazing enough in itself, you also need to know that in 1976, there was a ten-day waiting period from the time you bought your marriage license until the time you could actually get married in this state.

She lost him last month, suddenly and terribly. After 38 years of marriage, she loved him as much as she had the day she married him, if not more. The depth of her grief is unimaginable to me.

But the depth of their love for each other is the reason I firmly believe in love at first sight.

So to all the naysayers out there who don’t believe a week is enough time for love to take root , I give you this proof.