My friend arrived in Gent yesterday from Switzerland.  We’ve never met.

Vini and I are members of the Evolutionary Collective, an organization devoted to people connecting spiritually.  We meet on Zoom. 

Yesterday at the Gent Sint-Pieters train station was the first time we hugged.  It was sweet.  I told her “You have legs!”.  We never see them in the little Zoom rectangles.

In the spirit of you getting to know Vini, here’s how you pronounce her name: Vee-nee.  Names are important.

As we walked towards my building, I said that I’d recently repainted the apartment beige.  “It was time to get rid of all those bright colours!”  Vini didn’t buy it … and she loved the deep orange walls of her room.

On the couch, and later at dinner in De Jacob, the talking was easy and the smiles came often.  We were cozy.

There’s a wide open look in Vini’s eyes – a wonder, a possibility.  She speaks from the mouth via her heart.  The words pour out, unscripted.

Vini and Hans are partners.  Adoration in both directions.  She says they have let go of expectations, of rules laid on from the outside.  And there is no “pretend” between them. 

Vini says that I am being guided towards the next love of my life … a woman I haven’t met, but whom I’ve named.  Elise.  And the guide Vini senses is my dear wife Jody, who died in 2014.

Today there’ll be marvels to explore.  We will stroll lightly on the cobbles of Gent.

More stories tomorrow …