Life works in blessed ways.

When I fly any great distance, I invariably cultivate contact with a stranger. And I make the one I'm sitting next to me an acquaintance. By becoming bold enough to ask questions. To, in a sense, interview him/her. Used to be that I could sit next to someone for 7 or 8 hours. And hardly exchange a word. That was many years ago. When I was much younger. And maybe a bit shy. Now I don't let strangers remain as strangers. That goes for 44-year-old Lorenzo from Croatia that I sat next to on my flight from Rome to Philadelphia. I quickly discovered that his wife left him three years ago. After 20 years of marriage. And left their two children with him. A son, now 17. And a daughter, now 14. He's confused and disillusioned by it all. But I give the guy credit. He's getting on with life. And making the most of it. Albeit, he doesn't know what's coming next. Which I suggest is just fine. Because the guy is a romantic. A true romantic. He believes in love. And he'll find it. He won't remain disillusioned over his failed marriage. Six months ago on a cruise in the Mediterranean Sea, he met a nice woman. Here name is Elena. A romantic somewhat like him. She's Romanian, and 10 years younger than him. Her native language is Romanian. He speaks Croatian. Yes, different languages. But they both speak English. During their first nights together, they started conversation at 10 p.m. and before he knew it, they were still talking at 7 a.m. the next morning. At sunrise. "It's wonderful," he said, "being with someone and losing track of time." He doesn't know what will come of this relationship. But it sounds very promising. Very romantic. Because she invited him on a one-week cruise out of Miami. And that's where he was headed out of Philadelphia. To Miami. To meet his girlfriend. Meanwhile, his mother, back in Croatia, is looking after his two children. And he's a little worried. About juggling all his responsibilities, as a father and as a salesman for an equipment manufacturer. But I encouraged him to take his life one day at a time. He's happy today. And do whatever makes him happy tomorrow. And to go with the flow. Because when life goes awry, like it did for him when his wife left, it may turn out to be a blessing. He may end up with a better wife and a better life. Just give it time. I've seen it happen before. Many times. What at a particular moment may seem like a stroke of bad luck ends up leading to something good. Because life often works in strange and mysterious and blessed ways. --Jim Broede